Q Words Without U

The letter Q is the hardest tile to place because English almost always follows it with a U. When there is no U on your rack and none exposed on the board, the ten-point tile becomes dead weight. This list solves that problem. It contains every word in our dictionary that has a Q and no U at all, from short loanwords such as QAT and QI to longer entries borrowed from Arabic, Hebrew, Chinese and Inuit languages. A few of these words are accepted in most word games precisely because players lobbied for a way to unload the Q, so it pays to memorise the two- and three-letter ones at minimum. The longer entries come up less often but are worth knowing for pattern searches and crosswords. Sort by score to see which Q words deliver the most points for the fewest tiles.

How to use this page

Read the list straight through, or use the search box to check which of these words you can make from your own letters. Long lists show the most useful entries first and load the remainder on request.

Tips

Hooks are single letters added to the front or back of an existing word to make a new one, and they are the cheapest way to score in a crowded game. Look through the words on this page for ones that become a different valid word with one more letter, or that can be formed by extending a shorter word already on the board. Suffixes such as S, ED, ER and ING, and prefixes such as RE and UN, do most of the work. A hook lets you play a second word in parallel and collect both scores.

Questions

Can I search this list with my own letters?

Yes. Type your letters into the search box at the top of the page, using a question mark for a blank, and the tool will show only the q words without u you can actually spell from that rack, with scores.

Are all of these words valid in word games?

They are all in the ENABLE list, which most word-game helpers use, but each game publishes its own dictionary. Check any unfamiliar word against the rules of the game you are playing before you rely on it.