Q Without U: The Scrabble Words That Rescue a Stuck Q
Drawing the Q is worth 10 points, but it can feel like a punishment. Most English Q words need a U, and if you do not have one the Q can sit on your rack for turns, blocking your other letters. The good news is that a handful of valid words use Q with no U at all. Learn a few of them and the Q becomes an opportunity rather than a burden.
Q-without-U words worth knowing
These are accepted in the main tournament dictionaries used in North America and the UK. Most of them come from Arabic, Hebrew, Chinese or other languages that English has borrowed from, which is why the Q stands on its own.
| Word | Letters | Points | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| QI | 2 | 11 | life force in Chinese philosophy |
| QAT | 3 | 12 | a shrub whose leaves are chewed as a stimulant |
| QAID | 4 | 14 | a Muslim leader or chief |
| QADI | 4 | 14 | a judge in Islamic law |
| QOPH | 4 | 18 | a letter of the Hebrew alphabet |
| SUQ | 3 | 12 | a marketplace (also spelled souk) |
| TRANQ | 5 | 14 | short for tranquilliser |
| FAQIR | 5 | 17 | a holy man (also spelled fakir) |
| QANAT | 5 | 14 | an underground water channel |
| NIQAB | 5 | 16 | a face veil |
| BURQA | 5 | 16 | a full-body covering |
| QABALA | 6 | 17 | a form of Jewish mysticism (also kabbalah) |
| QINTAR | 6 | 15 | a former coin of Albania |
| QINDAR | 6 | 16 | another spelling of qintar |
| SHEQEL | 6 | 18 | a unit of currency in Israel (also shekel) |
| QIGONG | 6 | 17 | a Chinese system of exercise and breathing |
Most of these also take an S to make a plural (QATS, QAIDS, SUQS and so on), which gives you an extra hook if one is already on the board. Points are face value before premium squares.
Dictionaries differ. Word lists are revised every few years, and some apps, including Words With Friends, use their own lists. QI and QAT are the safest bets; if you plan to play a rarer one, check it first.
Start with these three
- QI: the most useful word in the game for a lone Q. Two letters, 11 points, and it fits almost anywhere there is an I.
- QAT: easy to remember and easy to place, because A and T are among the most common tiles.
- SUQ: a good one to have in reserve when the board has an open S or U.
When to play the Q, and when to swap it
- Play it on a premium square if you can. QI with the Q on a triple-letter square scores 31 points in one direction alone.
- Do not wait too long. Holding a Q for several turns while hoping for a U usually costs more than it earns.
- Consider an exchange. If you have no I, no A and no U, and the bag is still fairly full, swapping the Q can be the better move.
- Watch the endgame. An unplayed Q at the end of the game counts against you, so plan your last few turns around it.
Practise spotting them
The best practice is simply to reread the list above before a game, starting with QI, QAT and SUQ. Our Scrabble word finder will find most of these, including QAT, QAID, QOPH, SUQ, TRANQ, FAQIR and QANAT. A few newer additions (QADI, NIQAB, BURQA, QABALA and QIGONG) are not in its word list, so learn those from this page.
Scrabble is a registered trademark of Hasbro in the US and Canada and of Mattel elsewhere. Words With Friends is a registered trademark of Zynga. EasyUnscramble is independent and not affiliated with either.
Related reading: Short words with Z, X, J and Q
Ready to put it into practice?
Find Words With Your Tiles →