Scrabble Q Words Without U
Every word that plays a Q with no U behind it, priced with Scrabble tiles. There are only a few dozen, and about six of them do all the work.
31 of 31 words
Tap any word to load it into the solver rack, or check a different word.
Why this short list is worth memorising
One Q in the bag, four Us. Drawing the Q without a U is the normal case, not the unlucky one, and without this list the usual response is to hold the tile for three turns and then be caught with it when the game ends — ten points off your score, ten onto theirs.
Six words fix that permanently. QI is the one that matters: two tiles, plays beside almost anything, and worth eleven before any premium square. QAT, QIS, QADI, QOPH and FAQIR cover the rest.
What it is worth in Scrabble prices
The Q is ten points. QI on a plain square is eleven — a poor turn. QI with the Q on a double letter square is twenty-one, and on a triple letter square thirty-one. Placed so that it reads across and down at once, the Q collects its premium in both words, and the same two tiles are worth sixty.
That is the whole reason to know the list. It is not about finding a clever word; it is about being able to wait for the right square rather than being forced to dump the tile at face value or hold it to the end.
A note on dictionaries
Short words are where word lists disagree most, and these are as short as words get. QI, QAT and QIS are in every current official list. Some of the more obscure entries below are in ENABLE and may not be in the edition you are playing by — worth checking before you stake a turn on one.
Related
- Scrabble Q WordsWords with Q, ranked by how playable they are.
- Scrabble Two-Letter WordsThe list that wins the most points per tile.
- Scrabble Three-Letter WordsEvery three-letter word, filterable.
- Scrabble Tile ValuesWhat every letter is worth, sortable.
- Scrabble SolverEnter your board and rack, get every legal move ranked by score.
- Scrabble StrategyThe ideas that add points to every game.
Common questions
How many Q-without-U words are there?
A few dozen in this dictionary, and only a handful come up in practice. That is what makes this worth learning rather than looking up: the useful part of the list is short enough to memorise in one sitting.
Which are actually worth knowing?
QI above all, then QAT, QIS, QADI, QOPH and FAQIR. Those six cover almost every real situation. The rest are worth recognising if your opponent plays one, and not worth memorising.
Will these be accepted in my game?
This list comes from ENABLE, an open reference dictionary. The official Scrabble word lists overlap it heavily but not perfectly, and the short entries here are exactly where lists differ most. QI, QAT and QIS are in all the current ones.
Word validity is checked against ENABLE, an open reference dictionary. Word acceptance may vary from the current official Scrabble dictionary. TilePlayCoach is an independent word-game helper and is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by the owners of the Scrabble trademark.