If you’re a newbie to Scrabble, you might have tried to expand your gameplay vocabulary by studying lists of high-scoring Scrabble words, or reading up on terms that start with ‘X’ or ‘Q.’ It’s a great idea to try to develop your vocab before a game. But unfortunately, many of these lists spit out words most of us have no hope of ever replicating. Muzjiks, Zymurgy, Oxyphenbutazone – the odds of a beginner ever finding the opportunity to play these words is abysmal, to say the least. But never fear! Here’s a list of twenty realistic high-scoring Scrabble words, which can easily be played when you get a tricky X or Z tile. Once you’ve got these words down pat, you can graduate to longer options.
- Qi
Qi is a noun meaning “the circulating life energy that in Chinese philosophy is thought to be inherent in all things.” Qi is worth 11 points in Scrabble, with 10 points for the ‘Q’ and 1 point for the ‘I’.
- Xi
Xi is a noun, meaning “the 14th letter of the Greek alphabet” or “the cardinal number that is the sum of ten and one.” It is also an adjective, meaning “being one more than ten.” Xi is worth 9 points in Scrabble, with 8 points for the ‘X’ and 1 point for the ‘I’.
- Xis
Xis is a plural noun, meaning the plural of ‘xi.’ Xis is worth 10 points in Scrabble, with 8 points for the ‘X,’ 1 point for the ‘I’, and 1 point for the ‘S.’ This is a good term to play if there is a floating ‘S’ on the board.
- Quant
Quant is a noun meaning “quantitative analyst.” Quant is worth 14 points in Scrabble, with 10 points for the ‘Q,’ 1 point of the ‘U’, 1 point for the ‘A,’ 1 point for the ‘N’ and 1 point for the ‘T.’
- Quartz
Quartz is a noun meaning “a hard, glossy mineral consisting of silicon dioxide in crystal form.” Quartz is worth 24 points in Scrabble, with 10 points for the ‘Q’; 1 point each for the ‘U’, ‘A,’ ‘R’ and ‘T’; and 10 points for the ‘Z’.
- Quiz
Quiz is a noun meaning “an examination consisting of a few short questions.” Quiz is worth 22 points in Scrabble, with 10 points for the ‘Q,’ 1 point for the ‘U’, 1 point for the ‘I’, and 10 points for the ‘Z.’
- Jazz
Jazz, one of the highest-scoring short Scrabble words, means “a style of dance music popular in the 1920s.” Jazz is worth a whopping 29 points, with 8 points for the ‘J’, 1 point for the ‘A’ and 10 points each for the ‘Z’s. Keep in mind that a standard Scrabble set only includes a single Z, so this will have to be played on a nontraditional board. You can also play ‘Jazz’ by using a blank tile for one of the ‘Z’s, but this will reduce the total value of the word to 19.
- Vex
Vex is a verb meaning to “be a mystery or bewildering to.” Vex is worth 13 points in Scrabble, wth 4 points for the ‘V’, 1 point for the ‘E’, and 8 points for the ‘X’.
- Axis
Axis is a noun meaning “the center around which something rotates.” Axis is worth 11 points in Scrabble, with 1 point each for the ‘A’, ‘I’ and ‘S’, and 8 points for the ‘X’.
- Zine
Zine is a noun meaning “a small magazine that is written by people who are not professional writers, and that usually has stories about a particular subject.” Zine is worth 13 points in Scrabble, with 10 points for the ‘Z’, and 1 point each for the ‘I’, ‘N’, and ‘E’.
- Qua
Qua is a preposition meaning “in the capacity or character of; as.” For instance, you might write, “The president qua head of the party managed the conflict.” Qua is worth 12 points in Scrabble, with 10 points for the ‘Q’ and 1 point each for the ‘U’ and ‘A’.
- Zany
Zany is a noun meaning “a man who is a stupid, incompetent fool.” It is also an adjective meaning, “like a clown.” Zany is worth 16 points: 10 points for the ‘Z’, 1 point each for the ‘A’ and ‘N’, and 4 points for the ‘Y.’
- Yuzu
Yuzu is a noun meaning “a citrus fruit originating in East Asia.” Yuzu is worth 16 points in Scrabble, with 4 points for ‘Y’, 1 point for each ‘U’, and 10 points for the ‘Z’.
- Oozy
Oozy is an adjective meaning “leaking out slowly.” Oozy is worth 16 points in Scrabble; 1 point for each ‘O’, 10 points for the ‘Z’, and 1 point for the ‘Y.’
- Futz
Futz is a noun meaning “an objectionable woman.” Futz is worth 16 points in Scrabble, with 4 points for ‘F,’ 1 point each for ‘U’ and ‘T,’ and 10 points for ‘Z.’
- Zoa
Zoa is a noun meaning “a plural of zoon.” Zoa is worth 12 points in Scrabble, with 10 points for the ‘Z’ and 1 point each for the ‘O’ and ‘A.’
- Qadi
Qadi is a noun meaning “an Islamic judge.” Qadi is worth 14 points in Scrabble: 10 points for the ‘Q’, 1 point each for the ‘A’ and ‘I’, and 2 points for the ‘D’. This is a great word to play if you have a ‘Q’ but no ‘U.’
- Qat
Qat is a noun meaning “the leaves of the shrub Catha edulis which are chewed like tobacco or used to make tea.” Qat is worth 12 points in Scrabble, with 10 points for the ‘Q’ and 1 point each for the ‘A’ and ‘T’. Another great option to use a ‘Q’ when there’s no ‘U’ on the board!
- Java
Java is a noun meaning “a beverage consisting of an infusion of ground coffee beans.” Java is worth 14 points in Scrabble, with 8 points for the ‘J’, 1 point for each ‘A’, and 4 points for the ‘V’.
- Jags
Jags is a noun meaning “a bout of drinking or drug taking.” Jags is worth 12 points in Scrabble, with 8 points for the ‘J’, 1 point each for the ‘A’ and ‘S,’ and 2 points for the ‘G.’
More Scrabble Word Lists
Need more help with your Scrabble game? Check out some of our other word lists, including our List of Words that Start with X, and our List of Words Containing Specific Letters.
