Scrabble strategy
Using Q in Scrabble
The Q is worth 10 points — tied with the Z for the most on the board — but it comes with a catch: it almost always wants a U beside it. Here's how to turn that awkward tile into big scores.
The Q problem
There is a single Q tile in the standard English set, and at 10 points it can swing a game. The trouble is that most Q words — QUEEN, QUICK, QUIET, QUOTE — need a U to follow it. Draw the Q without a U and it can sit on your rack for turns, blocking better plays.
The fix is knowing the handful of words that spell Q without any U at all, plus the premium squares that make even a tiny Q word pay off.
Q words without a U
These are your escape hatch when no U turns up. (Validity varies a little between dictionaries — TWL/NWL vs. Collins — so check your game's word list for the rarer ones.)
QI: the money play
QI — a form of life energy — is the only two-letter word with a Q, and it's the single most useful Q play in the game. It scores 11 points before any bonus, and dropping the Q on a double- or triple-letter square turns that into 20–30 points for two tiles. Play QI parallel to another word and you can score both at once.
High-scoring Q words to aim for
When you do have the U (or a blank to stand in for one), these land big:
When to hold and when to dump
- Hold briefly for a U. With a U already on your rack or likely to come, keep the Q a turn or two.
- Chase the premiums. A short Q word on a letter- or word-bonus square usually beats a longer play elsewhere.
- Don't sit on it. A Q stuck on your rack late in the game is 10 points against you if it's unplayed at the finish. Learn the no-U words so you always have an out.
Want the complete list — every legal word containing a Q, sortable by length and score?
See all Scrabble words with Q on UnscrambleX →