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
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
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.) a 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)
Yoghurt
(n.) a 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
Youth
(n.) the condition of being young
Yuppie
(n.) a young, ambitious, well-educated city dweller who has a professional career and an affluent lifestyle
