Every Q-without-U word in English, explained
The complete list of playable Q-words that don't need a U, with meanings and example plays for Scrabble and Words With Friends.
The Q is the tile that terrifies casual players. It's worth ten points, it's rare, and the only vowel it usually plays with is U — which shows up half as often. Getting stuck with a Q at the end of the game is a five-turn nightmare that can cost you the match.
There's a fix, and it's one afternoon of memorisation. Every Scrabble dictionary — TWL and SOWPODS — allows a small set of Q-words with no U. Learn them and the Q becomes a scoring tile instead of a liability.
The core list (works in both TWL and SOWPODS)
| Word | Length | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| QI | 2 | The Chinese life force / vital energy. The single most valuable Q-word ever added. |
| QAT | 3 | A leafy shrub whose leaves are chewed as a mild stimulant. Also spelled KHAT. |
| QIS | 3 | Plural of QI. |
| QATS | 4 | Plural of QAT. |
| FAQIR | 5 | A Muslim or Hindu religious ascetic. Also FAKIR. |
| QANAT | 5 | An underground irrigation tunnel used in the Middle East. |
| QOPH | 4 | The 19th letter of the Hebrew alphabet. |
| QOPHS | 5 | Plural of QOPH. |
| TRANQ | 5 | Slang for a tranquilliser. |
| TRANQS | 6 | Plural of TRANQ. |
| FAQIRS | 6 | Plural of FAQIR. |
| QANATS | 6 | Plural of QANAT. |
SOWPODS-only additions (valid outside North America)
If you're playing SOWPODS (the international word list used everywhere outside the US and Canada), you get a longer list:
- QADI — a Muslim judge (plural QADIS).
- QAID — a Muslim tribal chief (plural QAIDS).
- QI — same as above.
- MBAQANGA — a style of South African popular music. Yes, really.
- SHEQEL — an Israeli monetary unit (plural SHEQELS or SHEQALIM).
- QABALA — a variant of KABBALAH.
- NIQAB — the face-veil worn by some Muslim women (plural NIQABS).
- QINTAR — a monetary unit of Albania.
- QASIDA — an Arabic verse form.
How to actually use them
QI is the tile-saver you'll use most. It's two letters, plays parallel to almost any word with an I in it, and clears the Q in one move. Look for an I on the board, drop the Q next to it, and you've scored 11+ points and dodged the ten-point penalty.
QAT and QATS are your next most useful — a Q, an A, and a T are all common tiles, and there's almost always an A or T on the board to build off. QOPH pays even better when you can hook it, thanks to that valuable H.
The one thing to memorise today
If you learn nothing else, learn that Q + I = QI = valid = huge. It has saved more games than any single word in the two-letter list. Play it the moment you have a Q and see an I on the board.
Want to see every Q-word you can make from a specific rack? Drop your letters into our unscrambler with 'Q' set as the required letter — the results will filter to just the words that use it.