This is the complete reference list of words with a Q and no U at all, pulled directly from the NWL23 (North American) and Collins CSW21 (international) dictionaries – the same word lists that power the LexiLab Scrabble Word Finder.
Why does Q almost always come with U?
In English, Q almost universally precedes U – queen, quiet, quorum, quiche. The letter Q in the Latin alphabet originally represented the /kw/ sound, and the pairing became so entrenched that the Q tile in Scrabble was originally considered nearly unplayable without a U. Early players, stuck with the Q and no U in sight, would often have no choice but to dump it on a low-value play or pass it back into the bag.
The exception is loanwords. Arabic in particular doesn't follow the Latin Q+U convention, and as English absorbed words from Arabic, Persian, and other languages, a small but crucial set of Q-without-U words entered the dictionary. Competitive Scrabble players know every single one of them.
A handful of words break the Q+U spelling rule but still tuck a U in elsewhere – SUQ, BURQA, UMIAQ, QIVIUT. Fun curiosities, but they won't save you when you're missing the U tile, so this article sticks to the words with a Q and no U anywhere.
The NWL23 list (North American Scrabble)
These words are valid under NWL23, the official North American word list. If you play tournament Scrabble in North America, these are your words.
| Word | Points | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| QI | 11 | The life force in Chinese philosophy (also spelled chi). Two letters, 11 points – one of the best plays in Scrabble. |
| QIS | 12 | Plural of QI. |
| QAT | 12 | A shrub from East Africa and Arabia whose leaves are chewed as a stimulant. Also spelled KAT or KHAT. |
| QATS | 13 | Plural of QAT. |
| QADI | 14 | A judge in a Muslim community who applies Islamic law. |
| QADIS | 15 | Plural of QADI. |
| QAID | 14 | A Muslim judge or chief. Variant of QADI. |
| QAIDS | 15 | Plural of QAID. |
| QANAT | 14 | An ancient underground irrigation tunnel, common in Iran and Central Asia. These systems are thousands of years old and still in use today. |
| QANATS | 15 | Plural of QANAT. |
| FAQIR | 17 | A Muslim or Hindu ascetic holy man. Variant of fakir. |
| FAQIRS | 18 | Plural of FAQIR. |
| TRANQ | 14 | A tranquilizer. A handy modern entry – the Q with no U you're most likely to recognise. |
| TRANQS | 15 | Plural of TRANQ. |
| QOPH | 18 | The nineteenth letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Also spelled KAPH. |
| QOPHS | 19 | Plural of QOPH. |
| QABALA | 17 | An alternative spelling of Kabbalah – the Jewish mystical tradition. |
| QABALAS | 18 | Plural of QABALA. |
| SHEQEL | 18 | The monetary unit of Israel. Also spelled shekel. |
| SHEQALIM | 22 | A plural of SHEQEL. |
| QINDAR | 16 | A monetary unit of Albania, equal to one hundredth of a lek. |
| QINDARS | 17 | Plural of QINDAR. |
| QINDARKA | 22 | Another plural form of QINDAR. |
| QINTAR | 15 | A variant spelling of QINDAR. |
| QINTARS | 16 | Plural of QINTAR. |
| QWERTY | 21 | The standard keyboard layout – named for the first six letters on the top row. Yes, it's in the dictionary. |
| QWERTYS | 22 | Plural of QWERTY (as in different QWERTY keyboard designs). |
Total: 27 valid NWL23 words with a Q and no U (including plurals and variants).
Additional words in CSW21 (Collins / international Scrabble)
If you play under the Collins CSW21 ruleset – the standard in most international and UK tournaments – you have a significantly larger toolkit. All 27 NWL23 words above are also valid in CSW21. On top of those, the following are valid in CSW21 but not in NWL23:
| Word | Points | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| TALAQ | 14 | A form of divorce under Islamic law. |
| TALAQS | 15 | Plural of TALAQ. |
| NIQAB | 16 | A veil worn by some Muslim women, covering the face below the eyes. |
| NIQABS | 17 | Plural of NIQAB. |
| QIBLA | 16 | The direction of Mecca, toward which Muslims pray. Also spelled KIBLAH. |
| QIBLAS | 17 | Plural of QIBLA. |
| QORMA | 16 | A variant spelling of KORMA – the mild, cream-based curry. |
| QORMAS | 17 | Plural of QORMA. |
| QASIDA | 16 | A form of Arabic and Persian poetry, typically a praise poem or ode. |
| QASIDAS | 17 | Plural of QASIDA. |
| QIGONG | 17 | The Chinese practice of breath control, meditation, and movement for health. |
| QIGONGS | 18 | Plural of QIGONG. |
| WAQF | 19 | A charitable endowment under Islamic law. |
| WAQFS | 20 | Plural of WAQF. |
| YAQONA | 18 | A Fijian name for kava, a drink made from a pepper-plant root. |
| YAQONAS | 19 | Plural of YAQONA. |
| INQILAB | 18 | A revolution or uprising (South Asian usage). |
| INQILABS | 19 | Plural of INQILAB. |
| SHEQELS | 19 | A plural of SHEQEL (the SHEQEL singular is valid in NWL23 too). |
| TSADDIQ | 18 | A righteous and saintly person in Judaism. Also TZADDIQ. |
| TSADDIQS | 19 | Plural of TSADDIQ. |
| TSADDIQIM | 22 | A Hebrew plural of TSADDIQ. |
| TZADDIQ | 27 | Variant of TSADDIQ – two 10-point tiles (Q and Z) make this a heavyweight. |
| TZADDIQS | 28 | Plural of TZADDIQ. |
| TZADDIQIM | 31 | A Hebrew plural of TZADDIQ – tied for the highest-scoring word on this list. |
| QABALAH | 21 | Another variant of Kabbalah. |
| QABALAHS | 22 | Plural of QABALAH. |
| QABALISM | 21 | The system of mystical thought in Kabbalah. |
| QABALISMS | 22 | Plural of QABALISM. |
| QABALIST | 19 | A student or follower of the Kabbalah. |
| QABALISTS | 20 | Plural of QABALIST. |
| QABALISTIC | 23 | Relating to the Kabbalah. |
| QAWWAL | 21 | A singer of Qawwali music. |
| QAWWALS | 22 | Plural of QAWWAL. |
| QAWWALI | 22 | The devotional music of the Sufis – popularized globally by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. |
| QAWWALIS | 23 | Plural of QAWWALI. |
| MBAQANGA | 22 | A style of South African popular music. A superb rack-clearing word. |
| MBAQANGAS | 23 | Plural of MBAQANGA. |
| QAIMAQAM | 30 | A provincial governor or deputy in the Ottoman Empire. |
| QAIMAQAMS | 31 | Plural of QAIMAQAM – tied for the highest-scoring word on this list. |
| QALAMDAN | 20 | A Persian pen case. |
| QALAMDANS | 21 | Plural of QALAMDAN. |
| QWERTIES | 20 | Plural of QWERTY (CSW21 variant spelling). |
Total: 70 valid CSW21 words with a Q and no U – the 27 NWL23 words plus these 43 CSW21-only additions.
Point values at a glance
The chart below ranks every Q-without-U word by its Scrabble point value. NWL23 words are shown in solid orange; CSW21-only additions are shown in muted orange.
The highest-scoring Q-without-U plays
QI is the workhorse of Q-without-U play. Two letters, 11 points, and it fits almost anywhere – but its real power is that Q and I are both easy to extend in a second direction. Play QI vertically and you can often form an entirely new word horizontally at the same time, scoring both at once. On a double or triple letter square the returns are devastating. Experienced players deliberately leave QI openings for themselves rather than burning the Q on a lower-value play early.
QOPH (18 pts) and QOPHS (19 pts) are underused gems – a clean way to unload the Q for a big score, and QOPH takes an S on the end whenever you need the longer play.
QWERTY (21 pts) is the surprise. Most players don't even realise it's in the dictionary, so it's a hugely satisfying play – and since it's perfectly legal, you can lay it down with confidence even if it draws a challenge. The plural QWERTYS (22 pts) is equally valid.
In CSW21, the crown jewels are QAIMAQAMS and TZADDIQIM, tied at 31 points – assuming you can hold onto enough tiles to play either. TZADDIQ (27 pts) is the practical pick of the family, fielding two 10-point tiles in a more manageable seven letters. And for everyday play, don't overlook TRANQ – it's the rare Q-without-U word that ordinary players actually recognise, so it slips past challenges easily.
Where do they come from – and where are they valid?
The Q-without-U words share one thing: they come from languages where Q doesn't need a U. Arabic uses Q for the uvular stop /q/ – a sound further back in the throat than English /k/. Hebrew has the same convention. Chinese, Persian, Turkish, and others followed their own paths. The table below shows which words are valid in each ruleset, grouped by origin.
Find plays for your rack. The Scrabble Word Finder searches both NWL23 and CSW21 – enter any rack and it will find every valid word, scored and sorted.
Open Scrabble Word FinderA note on verification
The word lists used here are the same ones that power the LexiLab Scrabble Word Finder – NWL23 (North American, ~173,000 words) and Collins CSW21 (international, ~267,000 words). Both are sourced from the same databases used by official tournament directors. If you want to check a specific word or find plays for your rack, the tool can search either dictionary directly.
For the canonical competitive ruling, always defer to the Tournament Word Checker (TWC) or your tournament director.