Two Letter Scrabble Words
Complete list of all 112 valid two-letter words in official Scrabble dictionaries (TWL and SOWPODS).
Memorizing two-letter words is the single biggest improvement any Scrabble player can make. They unlock tight board positions, create parallel plays, and let you dump difficult letter combinations.
Why Two-Letter Words Matter in Scrabble
Two-letter words are the foundation of expert Scrabble play. They allow you to make parallel plays — placing a word alongside an existing word to score multiple times from the same tiles. A single well-placed 2-letter word can score 20-30 points by touching multiple premium squares while creating valid words in two directions simultaneously.
Expert players know all 112 valid two-letter words. Beginners typically know 20-30. The difference often decides who wins. Words like QI (11 points), ZA (11 points), ZO (11 points), and XI (9 points) let you play high-value tiles in tight spots where longer words won't fit.
How to Memorize Two-Letter Words
- Start with vowel pairs — AA, AI, AE, OE, OI are unusual but valid
- Learn the Q word — QI is the only 2-letter Q word; invaluable when you draw Q without U
- Learn the Z words — ZA (pizza) and ZO (a Tibetan ox) both score 11 points
- Group by first letter — learn all A-words first (AA, AB, AD, AE, AG, AH, AI, AL, AM, AN, AR, AS, AT, AW, AX, AY)
- Practice with flashcards — go through 10 new words per day
Highest Scoring Two-Letter Words
| Word | Points | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| QI | 11 | The vital life force (Chinese) |
| ZA | 11 | Pizza (informal) |
| AX | 9 | A chopping tool |
| EX | 9 | Former partner; the letter X |
| HM | 9 | Sound of hesitation |
| JO | 9 | A sweetheart (Scottish) |
| OX | 9 | A bovine animal |
| XI | 9 | Greek letter |
| XU | 9 | A monetary unit of Vietnam |
Words with Q
QI is essential — play Q without U
Words with Z
ZA and ZO score 11 points each
Words with X
AX, EX, OX, XI all valid
Words with J
JO scores 9 points
Complete A–Z List of Two-Letter Scrabble Words
| Word | Pts | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| AA | 2 | A type of rough lava |
| AB | 4 | An abdominal muscle |
| AD | 3 | An advertisement |
| AE | 2 | One (Scottish) |
| AG | 3 | Silver (chemistry symbol) |
| AH | 5 | Exclamation of surprise |
| AI | 2 | A three-toed sloth |
| AL | 2 | An East Indian tree |
| AM | 4 | First person singular of "be" |
| AN | 2 | Indefinite article before vowels |
| AR | 2 | The letter R |
| AS | 2 | To the same degree |
| AT | 2 | Preposition of location |
| AW | 5 | Exclamation of mild protest |
| AX | 9 | A chopping tool |
| AY | 5 | Yes (variant spelling) |
| BA | 4 | The soul in Egyptian mythology |
| BE | 4 | To exist |
| BI | 4 | Bisexual (informal) |
| BO | 4 | A pal or buddy |
| BY | 7 | Near or through |
| DA | 3 | Father (informal) |
| DE | 3 | Of (used in names) |
| DO | 3 | To perform an action |
| ED | 3 | Past tense suffix; editor |
| EF | 5 | The letter F |
| EH | 5 | Exclamation seeking agreement |
| EL | 2 | An elevated railroad |
| EM | 4 | The letter M; typographic unit |
| EN | 2 | The letter N; typographic unit |
| ER | 2 | Hesitation sound |
| ES | 2 | Plural of the letter S |
| ET | 2 | Past tense of eat (archaic) |
| EW | 5 | Exclamation of disgust |
| EX | 9 | Former partner; the letter X |
| FA | 5 | Fourth note of the musical scale |
| FE | 5 | A Hebrew letter |
| FI | 5 | Variant of phi |
| GI | 3 | A judo or karate uniform |
| GO | 3 | To move or proceed |
| GU | 3 | A type of violin (Shetland) |
| HA | 5 | Exclamation of laughter |
| HE | 5 | Third person singular male pronoun |
| HI | 5 | Greeting |
| HM | 9 | Sound of hesitation |
| HO | 5 | Exclamation of surprise |
| ID | 3 | The unconscious mind (psychology) |
| IF | 5 | Conjunction expressing condition |
| IN | 2 | Inside; fashionable |
| IS | 2 | Third person singular of "be" |
| IT | 2 | Third person neuter pronoun |
| JO | 9 | A sweetheart (Scottish) |
| KA | 6 | The spirit in Egyptian mythology |
| KI | 6 | The vital life force |
| LA | 2 | Sixth note of the musical scale |
| LI | 2 | A Chinese unit of distance |
| LO | 2 | Behold! (archaic) |
| MA | 4 | Mother (informal) |
| ME | 4 | First person object pronoun |
| MI | 4 | Third note of the musical scale |
| MM | 6 | Sound of agreement |
| MO | 4 | A moment (informal) |
| MU | 4 | Greek letter |
| MY | 7 | First person possessive pronoun |
| NA | 2 | No (Scottish) |
| NE | 2 | Born as; northeast |
| NO | 2 | Negative response |
| NU | 2 | Greek letter |
| OB | 4 | An objection (informal) |
| OD | 3 | To overdose |
| OE | 2 | A whirlwind off the Faeroe Islands |
| OF | 5 | Belonging to |
| OH | 5 | Exclamation of surprise |
| OI | 2 | Exclamation (British) |
| OK | 6 | Acceptable |
| OM | 4 | Sacred syllable in Hinduism |
| ON | 2 | Above and touching |
| OP | 4 | A military operation; opus |
| OR | 2 | Conjunction of alternatives |
| OS | 2 | Plural of os (bone) |
| OW | 5 | Exclamation of pain |
| OX | 9 | A bovine animal |
| OY | 5 | Exclamation of dismay |
| PA | 4 | Father (informal) |
| PE | 4 | A Hebrew letter |
| PI | 4 | Greek letter; mathematical constant |
| PO | 4 | A chamber pot (informal) |
| QI | 11 | The vital life force (Chinese) |
| RE | 2 | Second note of the scale; regarding |
| SH | 5 | Command for silence |
| SI | 2 | Seventh note of the scale |
| SO | 2 | In that manner; therefore |
| ST | 2 | Command for silence |
| TA | 2 | Thank you (British informal) |
| TE | 2 | Variant of ti (musical note) |
| TI | 2 | Seventh note of the scale |
| TO | 2 | In the direction of |
| UH | 5 | Sound of hesitation |
| UM | 4 | Sound of hesitation |
| UN | 2 | One (dialect) |
| UP | 4 | Toward a higher position |
| UR | 2 | Primitive; original |
| US | 2 | First person plural object pronoun |
| UT | 2 | First note of the scale (old form) |
| WE | 5 | First person plural subject pronoun |
| WO | 5 | Variant of woe |
| XI | 9 | Greek letter |
| XU | 9 | A monetary unit of Vietnam |
| YA | 5 | You (informal) |
| YE | 5 | You (archaic plural) |
| YO | 5 | Greeting (informal) |
| ZA | 11 | Pizza (informal) |
Ready to find your best Scrabble play?
Enter your rack letters and board pattern to find the highest-scoring word.
Open Scrabble Word Finder →