Best 2-Letter Scrabble Words Every Player Must Know
If you want to elevate your Scrabble game beyond casual play, the single most impactful thing you can do is memorize the valid 2-letter words. There are over 100 accepted 2-letter words in the official Scrabble dictionaries, and knowing them opens up board positions that most opponents will never see. They are the foundation of parallel plays, hook strategies, and tight endgame maneuvering.
Browse the full interactive list on our 2-letter words tool page to sort, filter, and study them at your own pace.
Why 2-Letter Words Matter
- Parallel plays: By placing a word directly alongside an existing word, every adjacent pair must form a valid 2-letter word. A single 7-tile parallel play can create five or six 2-letter words simultaneously, generating massive scores.
- Hooks: A 2-letter word lets you attach tiles to existing words, opening rows or columns that would otherwise be dead space on the board.
- Tile management: When your rack is clogged with difficult letters, a quick 2-letter play lets you dump a problem tile while keeping your turn productive.
High-Value 2-Letter Words
QI is arguably the most important word in all of Scrabble. It is the only 2-letter Q word, and it allows you to play the Q tile without needing a U. Landing QI on a triple-letter square scores 31 points from just two tiles. See our full guide on words with Q but no U for more on this strategy.
Essential Vowel Dumps
Common Consonant Pairs
The Core Set: Words Every Player Should Know First
Start by memorizing this group. They appear in nearly every game and are accepted in both TWL and Collins dictionaries.
How to Study 2-Letter Words
The most effective approach is to learn them in groups rather than alphabetically. Start with the high-value words (ZA, QI, XI, XU, JO), then move to the vowel combinations (AA, AE, AI, OE, OI), and finally fill in the rest. Flashcard apps and repeated play are both effective methods.
Once you have the 2-letter words down, you will notice your average score climbing immediately. Parallel plays that were previously invisible will start appearing on every board.