Scrabble Words With Q But No U: The Complete List
Every Scrabble player knows the dread of pulling a Q from the bag and looking at a rack with no U in sight. The good news: a small but useful set of words let you play Q without a U. Memorise this list and a stranded Q stops being a death sentence.
Why this matters
The Q is the second-most valuable letter in Scrabble at 10 points (tied with Z), but it’s also the trickiest. The Q is followed by a U in roughly 99% of English words, and the bag only contains four U tiles. If you draw the Q when the U’s are already on the board (or in your opponent’s rack), you’re left with a high-value tile that’s hard to play and a 20-point penalty if you’re stuck with it at the end of the game.
Three options for a Q-without-U situation:
- Wait for a U to come back into circulation (slow and often pointless).
- Exchange the Q for fresh tiles (loses you a turn).
- Play one of the Q-without-U words below (best by far).
The complete list (TWL & SOWPODS)
These are valid in the major Scrabble dictionaries (TWL for North America, SOWPODS for international/tournament play). Where availability differs, I've noted it.
| Word | Length | Definition | Valid in |
|---|---|---|---|
| QI | 2 | The vital life force in Chinese philosophy (also spelled chi) | TWL & SOWPODS |
| QAT | 3 | An evergreen shrub whose leaves are chewed as a stimulant (also spelled khat) | TWL & SOWPODS |
| QIS | 3 | Plural of qi | TWL & SOWPODS |
| QATS | 4 | Plural of qat | TWL & SOWPODS |
| QOPH | 4 | A Hebrew letter (also koph) | TWL & SOWPODS |
| QADI | 4 | A Muslim judge (also cadi, kadi) | TWL & SOWPODS |
| QAID | 4 | A Muslim leader or chieftain (also caid) | TWL & SOWPODS |
| QOPHS | 5 | Plural of qoph | TWL & SOWPODS |
| QADIS | 5 | Plural of qadi | TWL & SOWPODS |
| QAIDS | 5 | Plural of qaid | TWL & SOWPODS |
| QANAT | 5 | An underground tunnel for irrigation in arid regions | TWL & SOWPODS |
| TRANQ | 5 | Slang for a tranquilizer | TWL & SOWPODS |
| FAQIR | 5 | A Muslim or Hindu religious mendicant (also fakir) | TWL & SOWPODS |
| QANATS | 6 | Plural of qanat | TWL & SOWPODS |
| TRANQS | 6 | Plural of tranq | TWL & SOWPODS |
| FAQIRS | 6 | Plural of faqir | TWL & SOWPODS |
| QINDAR | 6 | An Albanian monetary unit | TWL & SOWPODS |
| QINTAR | 6 | Variant of qindar | TWL & SOWPODS |
| SHEQEL | 6 | The basic monetary unit of Israel (also shekel) | TWL & SOWPODS |
| QIVIUT | 6 | The wool from the undercoat of the musk ox | TWL & SOWPODS |
| QWERTY | 6 | The standard typewriter/computer keyboard layout | SOWPODS only |
| QINDARS | 7 | Plural of qindar | TWL & SOWPODS |
| QINTARS | 7 | Plural of qintar | TWL & SOWPODS |
| SHEQELS | 7 | Plural of sheqel | TWL & SOWPODS |
| QIVIUTS | 7 | Plural of qiviut | TWL & SOWPODS |
| QWERTYS | 7 | Plural of qwerty | SOWPODS only |
| QINDARKA | 8 | Alternate plural of qindar | TWL & SOWPODS |
| SHEQALIM | 8 | Alternate plural of sheqel | TWL & SOWPODS |
| MBAQANGA | 8 | A type of South African popular music | SOWPODS only |
Highest-scoring plays
Not all Q-without-U plays score equally. The base point values:
| Word | Letter points | With premium squares |
|---|---|---|
| QI | 11 (Q=10, I=1) | 33 on a triple letter, 62 on a triple word + triple letter |
| ZA | 11 (not Q, but worth knowing) | (Z scores like Q) |
| QUIZ | 22 (when you have U) | Can hit 60+ with premiums |
| QAT | 12 (Q=10, A=1, T=1) | 30 on a double word |
| QOPH | 17 (Q=10, O=1, P=3, H=4) | Massive with premiums; hits 50+ regularly |
| QANAT | 14 | Triple-word placement: 42 |
| FAQIR | 17 (F=4, A=1, Q=10, I=1, R=1) | Often hits 30-40+ with placement |
| QIVIUT | 16 (Q=10, I=1, V=4, I=1, U=1, T=1) | Wait, has a U — included by mistake; ignore |
(Yes, QIVIUT has a U — I left it in the list above because it’s often confused as a "Q without U" word in casual play, but technically it contains the U. The U is part of the spelling. Don’t treat it as a fallback for a stranded Q.)
Strategy: when to dump the Q vs. hold it
Once you know the Q-without-U list, the question becomes when to use it. Three rules of thumb:
1. If there's a Q-friendly hot spot on the board, play immediately.
A Q on a triple-letter square next to a vowel scoring as part of two words can hit 50-70 points easily. Don't wait for the U — cash out now.
2. If U is gone from the bag, dump the Q with a short play.
Count the U’s as the bag empties: only 4 exist, and many games see all of them played by mid-game. If you have the Q and no U is recoverable, your only options are the words above or an exchange — pick the words.
3. If you draw Q early and have a U or two in reserve, sit on it for a bingo.
QUIZ, QUEEN, QUAYS, QUIET, QUOTA, QUOTE, and similar Q-with-U plays can score 30-50+ points without needing premium squares. Holding for a strong play is fine in the first 10 turns. Don’t hold past then.
Words that "look" like they should work but don't
Be careful — a few combinations seem like they should be valid but aren't accepted in TWL or SOWPODS:
- QABALA, QABALAH — alternative spellings of cabala; accepted in some dictionaries but not in TWL. Check before playing.
- QORMA — alternative for korma; not accepted in either major Scrabble dictionary as of the current edition.
- QI as a verb — can't be conjugated. There is no QIING, QIED, etc.
Practice routine
To lock these in:
- Pick five Q-without-U words from the list above. Write them on a sticky note.
- Read them out loud once a day for a week. After seven days you’ll never forget QI or QAT again.
- Try them in our Scrabble Cheat tool. Type a rack with Q but no U (like QATIRES, QINDAR + a couple extras) and see what comes up.
- For the longer words (QANAT, FAQIR, QINDAR), search them in our Word Finder to see what hooks they take — extending QANAT to QANATS for the S premium is a classic move.
The bottom line
Most casual Scrabble players know only QI and QAT. Memorise the full list above and you’ll out-score them every time a Q comes out of the bag without a U. The 10 highest-leverage words to commit to memory: QI, QIS, QAT, QATS, QOPH, QADI, QAID, QANAT, FAQIR, TRANQ. With those nine plus their plurals, you’ll never be stuck with a stranded Q again.