Glossary & Word Lists
Reference guides worth bookmarking — each one generated live from whichever word list you've got selected above (UK or US), plus a strategy guide for getting more out of your rack.
New to Scrabble? This page is reference material for once you know the basics — for the rules, turns and scoring explained simply, start with our How to Play guide instead.
Two-Letter Words
The most-played words in competitive Scrabble aren't the flashy ones — they're the two-letter words that make parallel plays possible. This guide breaks down the full list for both Collins and TWL, with a worked example showing exactly how a parallel play works.
Q Without U
Every player eventually gets stuck holding a Q with no U in sight. This guide covers the words that solve that problem, why the list differs between UK and US dictionaries, and how to avoid losing turns waiting on a letter you might never draw.
High-Value Short Words
J, Q, X and Z are worth the most points and the hardest to place. This guide lists the shortest words that use them, with tips on cashing in an awkward tile the moment you get a workable spot on the board.
Strategy Tips
Five habits — not tricks — that consistently get more points out of a rack, drawn from common patterns in how points actually get left on the table during casual games.
Word lists on this site are drawn live from the same public-domain dictionaries used throughout (YAWL for UK, ENABLE1 for US) — see the footer for details.