DE- is a common prefix meaning "down," "from," or reversal: DEAD, DEAL, DEAR, DEFINE, DEMAND, DEPEND, DESIGN, DETAIL, DEVELOP, DEVICE, and DIALOG. DE- words appear constantly in Wordle (DELAY, DEPOT, DERBY, DEVIL, DIGIT) and are essential crossword vocabulary.
DEXTERITY and DEWY use DE- with rare letters. DELUXE (14 pts) and DEFECT (12 pts) are excellent 6-letter DE plays. DETOX (13 pts) combines DE- with X for a strong 5-letter play.
High-value word starts for Scrabble, Wordle, and crosswords