Two-letter words in Scrabble (NWL2023)
The NASPA Word List 2023 (NWL2023), the list used for Scrabble in the US and Canada, has 107 valid two-letter words. Learning them is the fastest way to raise your average score.
Why two-letter words matter
Two-letter words let you play alongside a word already on the board instead of only through it. Each tile you place can make a short cross-word, so a single move often scores two, three or four words at once. They also get rid of awkward letters when your rack will not make anything longer. See scoring cross-words for an example worth 50 points from one tile.
The full list, by first letter
Every letter except C and V starts at least one two-letter word, and no valid two-letter word contains a C or a V. CH is valid in Collins but not here, which catches a lot of players out.
A (16)
- AA
- AB
- AD
- AE
- AG
- AH
- AI
- AL
- AM
- AN
- AR
- AS
- AT
- AW
- AX
- AY
B (5)
- BA
- BE
- BI
- BO
- BY
D (3)
- DA
- DE
- DO
E (11)
- ED
- EF
- EH
- EL
- EM
- EN
- ER
- ES
- ET
- EW
- EX
F (2)
- FA
- FE
G (2)
- GI
- GO
H (5)
- HA
- HE
- HI
- HM
- HO
I (5)
- ID
- IF
- IN
- IS
- IT
J (1)
- JO
K (2)
- KA
- KI
L (3)
- LA
- LI
- LO
M (7)
- MA
- ME
- MI
- MM
- MO
- MU
- MY
N (4)
- NA
- NE
- NO
- NU
O (14)
- OD
- OE
- OF
- OH
- OI
- OK
- OM
- ON
- OP
- OR
- OS
- OW
- OX
- OY
P (4)
- PA
- PE
- PI
- PO
Q (1)
- QI
R (1)
- RE
S (3)
- SH
- SI
- SO
T (4)
- TA
- TE
- TI
- TO
U (6)
- UH
- UM
- UN
- UP
- US
- UT
W (2)
- WE
- WO
X (2)
- XI
- XU
Y (3)
- YA
- YE
- YO
Z (1)
- ZA
The high scorers
These 8 words use a J, Q, X or Z. Put that letter on a premium square where it makes two words at once and the score adds up fast.
- AX
- EX
- JO
- OX
- QI
- XI
- XU
- ZA
For longer words, see the J, Q, X and Z word lists.
All-vowel words
Too many vowels on your rack? These 5 words use only vowels:
- AA
- AE
- AI
- OE
- OI
What do the strange ones mean?
You do not need to know a meaning to play a word, but a few of these come up in every challenge.
- AA
- rough, cindery lava
- AE
- one (Scots)
- AG
- agriculture
- AI
- a three-toed sloth
- AL
- an East Indian tree
- AR
- the letter R
- AY
- an affirmative vote
- BA
- the eternal soul, in ancient Egyptian belief
- DA
- dad
- DE
- of or from, used in names
- EF
- the letter F
- EL
- an elevated railroad
- ES
- the letter S
- ET
- a past tense of “eat”
- EW
- an exclamation of disgust
- FE
- a Hebrew letter, also spelled PE
- GI
- a white garment worn in martial arts
- KA
- a person’s spirit, in ancient Egyptian belief
- KI
- another spelling of QI
- LI
- a Chinese unit of distance
- NA
- no or not
- NE
- born with the name of
- OD
- a hypothetical force
- OE
- a whirlwind off the Faeroe Islands
- OI
- an expression of dismay, like OY
- OM
- a mantra
- OP
- a style of abstract art
- OS
- a bone, or an orifice
- PE
- a Hebrew letter
- PO
- a chamber pot
- QI
- life energy, in Chinese philosophy
- TA
- an expression of thanks
- TE
- another spelling of TI, a note of the scale
- UT
- an old musical note, now DO
- XI
- a letter of the Greek alphabet
- XU
- a unit of Vietnamese money
- YA
- you (informal)
- ZA
- informal for pizza
NWL2023 and Collins
Collins Scrabble Words, the UK and international list, has 127 two-letter words, which is 20 more than NWL2023, and every NWL2023 word is also valid in Collins. The 20 Collins-only words are CH, DI, EA, EE, FY, GU, IO, JA, KO, KY, NY, OB, OO, OU, ST, UG, UR, YU, ZE, ZO. If you play online or with friends from abroad, agree on the word list before you start. The full UK list is on the Collins two-letter words page.
Checked against two independent NWL2023 sources, Mike Wolfberg’s NWL2023 two-letter list and the cross-tables.com NWL23 Cheat Sheet, which agree on all 107 words. Always use the edition your group has agreed for challenges.
Common questions
How many two-letter words are there in Scrabble?
There are 107 valid two-letter words in NWL2023, the list used in the US and Canada. Collins Scrabble Words, used in the UK and international play, has 127.
Are OK and EW valid in Scrabble?
Yes. Both OK and EW are valid in NWL2023, along with QI, ZA, XI and XU.
Which letters have no two-letter words?
No valid two-letter word contains a C or a V. Every other letter appears in at least one.
What are the best two-letter words for scoring?
QI and ZA are worth 11 points each before any premium squares, since Q and Z are worth 10 and the other tile 1. JO, XI, XU, AX, EX and OX are worth 9. Place them where they also make a second word.
Are ZE, ZO and JA valid in the US?
No. ZE, ZO, JA, CH, EE and the rest of the 20 Collins-only words are not valid in NWL2023. They are playable under Collins rules.
Which word list is the official one in the US?
NASPA clubs and tournaments in the US and Canada use NWL2023. For family games, the Official Scrabble Players Dictionary from Merriam-Webster is the usual choice. See the rules and word lists.
Last reviewed: October 2026.