Two-letter words are the secret weapon of every serious Scrabble player. While beginners focus on finding long, impressive words, champions know that mastering the humble two-letter word is what separates good players from great ones.
Why? Because two-letter words enable parallel plays—placing your word alongside an existing word to create multiple scoring combinations simultaneously. A single well-placed two-letter word can turn a mediocre turn into a 50+ point play.
This guide covers all 107 valid two-letter words in the Official Scrabble Players Dictionary (OSPD) and Tournament Word List (TWL), organized for easy memorization.
Why Two-Letter Words Are Essential
Consider this scenario: The word "GAME" is on the board. You have the letters A, T, E, S, R, N, I. Instead of playing a separate word, you could play "STAINER" parallel to "GAME," creating:
- STAINER (7 points base)
- SG (not valid—but AT, TA, AM, ME, ES all are!)
By knowing which two-letter combinations are valid, you can score for your main word PLUS every two-letter word you create. This is called hooking or parallel play.
All 107 Two-Letter Scrabble Words
Words Starting with A
| Word | Points | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| AA | 2 | Rough, jagged lava |
| AB | 4 | Abdominal muscle |
| AD | 3 | Advertisement |
| AE | 2 | One (Scottish) |
| AG | 3 | Agriculture (informal) |
| AH | 5 | Exclamation of surprise |
| AI | 2 | Three-toed sloth |
| AL | 2 | East Indian tree |
| AM | 4 | Present tense of "be" |
| AN | 2 | Indefinite article |
| AR | 2 | The letter R |
| AS | 2 | To the same degree |
| AT | 2 | Preposition of location |
| AW | 5 | Exclamation of disappointment |
| AX | 9 | Chopping tool |
| AY | 5 | Yes (also AYE) |
Words Starting with B
| Word | Points | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| BA | 4 | The soul in Egyptian mythology |
| BE | 4 | To exist |
| BI | 4 | Bisexual person |
| BO | 4 | A pal or buddy |
| BY | 7 | Near or beside |
Words Starting with D-E
| Word | Points | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| DA | 3 | Dad (informal) |
| DE | 3 | Of or from (used in names) |
| DO | 3 | To perform |
| ED | 3 | Education (informal) |
| EF | 5 | The letter F |
| EH | 5 | Expression of surprise |
| EL | 2 | Elevated railway |
| EM | 4 | Typographical unit |
| EN | 2 | Half an em |
| ER | 2 | Expression of hesitation |
| ES | 2 | The letter S |
| ET | 2 | Past tense of "eat" (dialect) |
| EX | 9 | Former spouse/partner |
Words Starting with F-G-H
| Word | Points | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| FA | 5 | Musical note |
| FE | 5 | Hebrew letter |
| GO | 3 | To move |
| HA | 5 | Exclamation of laughter |
| HE | 5 | Male pronoun |
| HI | 5 | Greeting |
| HM | 7 | Expression of thought |
| HO | 5 | Exclamation to attract attention |
Words Starting with I-J-K-L
| Word | Points | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| ID | 3 | Identification; part of psyche |
| IF | 5 | Conditional conjunction |
| IN | 2 | Inside |
| IS | 2 | Present tense of "be" |
| IT | 2 | Neuter pronoun |
| JO | 9 | Scottish sweetheart |
| KA | 6 | Egyptian spirit |
| KI | 6 | Variant of QI (life force) |
| LA | 2 | Musical note |
| LI | 2 | Chinese unit of distance |
| LO | 2 | Look! (archaic) |
Words Starting with M-N-O
| Word | Points | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| MA | 4 | Mother |
| ME | 4 | First person pronoun |
| MI | 4 | Musical note |
| MM | 6 | Expression of satisfaction |
| MO | 4 | Moment (informal) |
| MU | 4 | Greek letter |
| MY | 7 | Possessive pronoun |
| NA | 2 | No (Scottish) |
| NE | 2 | Born as (in names) |
| NO | 2 | Negative response |
| NU | 2 | Greek letter |
| OD | 3 | Hypothetical force |
| OE | 2 | Whirlwind off Faroe Islands |
| OF | 5 | Preposition |
| OH | 5 | Exclamation |
| OI | 2 | British exclamation |
| OK | 6 | All right |
| OM | 4 | Sacred Hindu syllable |
| ON | 2 | Positioned above |
| OP | 4 | Style of abstract art |
| OR | 2 | Conjunction |
| OS | 2 | Bone; mouth |
| OU | 2 | Man (South African) |
| OW | 5 | Exclamation of pain |
| OX | 9 | Bovine animal |
| OY | 5 | Exclamation (Yiddish) |
Words Starting with P-Q-R-S-T
| Word | Points | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| PA | 4 | Father |
| PE | 4 | Hebrew letter |
| PI | 4 | Greek letter; mathematical constant |
| PO | 4 | Chamber pot |
| QI | 11 | Life force (Chinese philosophy) |
| RE | 2 | Musical note; regarding |
| SH | 5 | Be quiet! |
| SI | 2 | Musical note (variant of TI) |
| SO | 2 | Therefore |
| TA | 2 | Thank you (British) |
| TI | 2 | Musical note |
| TO | 2 | Preposition |
Words Starting with U-W-X-Y-Z
| Word | Points | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| UH | 5 | Expression of hesitation |
| UM | 4 | Expression of hesitation |
| UN | 2 | One (dialect) |
| UP | 4 | Toward a higher position |
| US | 2 | First person plural pronoun |
| UT | 2 | Musical note (variant of DO) |
| WE | 5 | First person plural pronoun |
| WO | 5 | Woe (archaic) |
| XI | 9 | Greek letter |
| XU | 9 | Vietnamese monetary unit |
| YA | 5 | You (informal) |
| YE | 5 | You (archaic) |
| YO | 5 | Exclamation to get attention |
| ZA | 11 | Pizza (slang) |
High-Value Two-Letter Words
These words use high-scoring letters and should be prioritized:
- QI (11 points) – The only Q two-letter word
- ZA (11 points) – Pizza slang, uses the 10-point Z
- XI (9 points) – Greek letter, uses 8-point X
- XU (9 points) – Vietnamese currency, uses X
- AX (9 points) – Common word with X
- EX (9 points) – Former partner
- OX (9 points) – Bovine animal
- JO (9 points) – Uses 8-point J
- BY (7 points) – Uses 4-point Y
- MY (7 points) – Uses Y
Memorization Strategy
Don't try to memorize all 107 at once. Use this progression:
Week 1: The Essentials (20 words)
Start with common words you already know: AN, AT, BE, BY, DO, GO, HE, IF, IN, IS, IT, ME, MY, NO, OF, ON, OR, SO, TO, UP
Week 2: High-Value Words (15 words)
Focus on words with J, Q, X, Z: JO, QI, XI, XU, AX, EX, OX, ZA, plus BY, MY, HM, MM, SH, WE, WO
Week 3: Musical Notes (7 words)
DO, RE, MI, FA, SO, LA, TI (SI is a variant)
Week 4: The Rest
Fill in the remaining words, focusing on unusual ones like AA, AE, AI, OE, OU
Practice Exercises
Test yourself with these scenarios:
- The word "CAT" is on the board. What two-letter words can you form by playing parallel?
- You have a Q but no U. What's your only two-letter option?
- You need to use an X. What two-letter words are available?
Answers: 1) Many options including AT, TA, etc. 2) QI 3) AX, EX, OX, XI, XU
Conclusion
Mastering two-letter words is non-negotiable for competitive Scrabble. They enable parallel plays, help you use difficult letters, and can dramatically increase your scores. Start with the high-value words, practice regularly, and soon these 107 words will become second nature.
Ready to practice? Use our Word Unscrambler to find words from your rack, or try the Scrabble Helper for strategic suggestions.