Short Words With J, Q, X and Z for Big-Tile Plays

J, Q, X and Z are the four most valuable letters in Scrabble, worth 8, 10, 8 and 10 points. They are also the four that cause the most frustration, because the obvious words for them are long and the board is rarely kind. The fix is a small vocabulary of short words that let you place a big tile almost anywhere, ideally on a premium square.

This cheat sheet lists every two- and three-letter word containing J, Q, X or Z in TWL06, the North American tournament list, plus the extra ones Collins allows. Scores are Scrabble tile values before premium squares.

The two-letter words

If you play Words With Friends, note that QI and ZA are missing from the ENABLE list the game grew from, so lean on JO, XI, XU and the X words instead.

Three-letter words with X

X has by far the most short words, which is why experienced players rarely worry about drawing it. TWL06 has 36:

AXE, BOX, COX, DEX, FAX, FIX, FOX, GOX, HEX, KEX, LAX, LEX, LOX, LUX, MAX, MIX, NIX, OXO, OXY, PAX, PIX, POX, PYX, RAX, REX, SAX, SEX, SIX, SOX, TAX, TUX, VEX, VOX, WAX, XIS, ZAX

Collins adds DUX, EXO, HOX, MUX, NOX, TEX, TIX, WEX, WOX, YEX and ZEX.

The real power of X, though, is in two-letter plays. Because AX, EX, OX, XI and XU put the X at either end, you can often lay an X on a triple-letter square so that it forms two words at once, one across and one down. The X then counts in both words: 8 × 3 = 24 points each way, 48 for the X alone before the other letters.

Three-letter words with J

TWL06 has 26 three-letter J words:

HAJ, JAB, JAG, JAM, JAR, JAW, JAY, JEE, JET, JEU, JEW, JIB, JIG, JIN, JOB, JOE, JOG, JOT, JOW, JOY, JUG, JUN, JUS, JUT, RAJ, TAJ

Collins adds GJU, JAI, JAK, JAP, JIZ, JOL, JOR and JUD.

J has a weakness: there is only one two-letter J word in TWL06 (JO), so it is harder to tuck into tight spots than X. Keep an O on your rack if you can, and look for open vowels on the board. RAJ, TAJ and HAJ are handy because the J sits at the end of the word, which gives you more ways to steer it onto a premium square.

Three-letter words with Z

TWL06 has 24:

ADZ, AZO, BIZ, COZ, FEZ, FIZ, LEZ, WIZ, ZAG, ZAP, ZAS, ZAX, ZED, ZEE, ZEK, ZEP, ZIG, ZIN, ZIP, ZIT, ZOA, ZOO, ZUZ, ZZZ

Collins adds a long list, including BEZ, CAZ, CUZ, LUZ, MIZ, MOZ, POZ, REZ, RIZ, SAZ, SEZ, ZEA, ZEL, ZEX, ZHO, ZIZ, ZOL and ZOS.

The standouts are ZAX (19 points, a tool for trimming roofing slates) and ZEK (16, a prisoner in a Soviet labour camp). ADZ and AZO are useful because they use common vowels and hook easily. ZZZ and ZUZ look tempting on paper, but a Scrabble set has only one Z, so the extra Zs would have to come from blanks, which score nothing.

Three-letter words with Q

Q is the hard one. TWL06 has just four three-letter Q words:

• QAT: a shrub whose leaves are chewed as a stimulant
• QIS: the plural of QI
• QUA: in the capacity of
• SUQ: a marketplace

That is why QI matters so much, and why every serious player learns the Q-without-U words. Our guide to Q without U lists all of them, from QAID to TRANQ.

Four-letter words worth knowing

Once you have the short words, a handful of four-letter plays round out the set. All are valid in TWL06:

QUIZ is the dream play, with both 10-point tiles in a common word. JEUX, the plural of JEU (a game), is a lovely surprise because it combines J and X.

Strategy: making big tiles pay

Aim for the triple-letter squares. A big tile on a triple-letter square is worth three times its value, and if it forms two words at once, it counts twice. That is where two-letter words earn their keep.

Do not hold them forever. A J or Q stuck on your rack at the end of the game counts against you. If no good spot appears within a couple of turns, take a modest score and move on.

Keep a vowel nearby. Most short J, X and Z words need an A, E, I or O. Holding one vowel alongside your big tile makes it far easier to play.

Watch your opponent's hooks. Playing XI or ZA on a premium square can open a spot for your opponent to add an S or extend a word. Look at what your play gives away before you commit.

Find every option on your rack

These lists are a starting point. To see every word your rack and the board allow, sorted by score, use our Scrabble word finder or Words With Friends word finder. For full lists you can browse, try words with J, words with Q, words with X and words with Z, and for the two-letter words in every list, see two-letter Scrabble words.