30 Words That Start With Y If You Yearn For A Better Vocabulary

Yabber, Yaffle, Yean.

By

Words That Start With Y
Unsplash / Sergi Kabrera

Why, oh Y, are you such an evasive letter? Only sometimes is it considered a vowel, and perhaps even less often is it the first letter of a word. But if you’re trying to find the right word while playing Scrabble, or if you just want to impress people with your knowledge, we’ve got 30 great words that start with Y, just for you.

Yabber

(n.) jabber

Yacht

(n.) a vessel (or boat) used for private cruising

Yahoo

(n.) an uncultured or boorish person

Yaffle (n.) another name for a green woodpecker

Yak

(v.) to chatter

Yammer

(n.) to whine or complain

Yang

(n.) in Chinese philosophy, a positive, bright, masculine principle (opposite of yin)

Yardage

(n.) the amount measured in yards

Yare

(adj.) quick or agile

Yarmulke

(n.) a skullcap worn, especially during prayer and religious study, by Jewish males

Yatter

(v.) to chatter or jabber

Yawl

(v.) to howl

Yean

(v.) to bring forth young

Yearn

(v.) to have an earnest or strong desire

Yearling (n.) an animal on its second year

Yeasayer

(n.) a person with an optimistic and confident outlook

Yelp

(v.) to call or cry out sharply

Yenta

(n.) a person, especially a woman, who is a busybody or gossip

Yeoman

(n.) petty officer in a navy, having chiefly clerical duties in the U.S. Navy

Yesteryear

(n.) last year

Yield

(v.) to give forth or produce by a natural process or in return for cultivation

Yin

(n.) in Chinese philosophy, a dark, negative, feminine principle (opposite of yang)

Yippie

(n.) a member of a group of radical, politically active hippies (usually part of the Youth International Party)

Yoga (n.) a series of postures and breathing exercises practiced to achieve control of the body and mind, tranquility, etc.

Yoghurt

(n.) prepared food having the consistency of custard, made from milk curdled by the action of cultures, sometimes sweetened or flavored

Yokel

(n.) an unsophisticated person from a rural area

Yonder (adj.) being in that place over there

Youth

(n.) the condition of being young

Yuletide (n.) the Christmas season

Yuppie

(n.) a young, ambitious, well-educated city dweller who has a professional career and an affluent lifestyle