Q without U words are the small set of English words where the letter Q is not followed by a U. The shortest is QI (life energy in Chinese philosophy), and other common ones include QAT, QADI, QAID, QOPH, FAQIR, NIQAB, QANAT, QIBLA, TRANQ, QIGONG, QINTAR, QWERTY and SHEQEL. Most are borrowed from Arabic, Hebrew, Chinese, Albanian or Inuit languages, which is why they skip the usual QU spelling.
This guide gives you the full list most North American word-game players use, grouped by length, with what each word means, plus memory tricks and tips on when these words are actually useful.
Why English Q almost always takes a U
English inherited the QU spelling from Latin by way of French. In native English words, Q basically never appears without U: queen, quick, quiet, equal. The exceptions are loanwords from languages whose sound written as Q in Latin letters is a different consonant, usually a sound made further back in the throat than K. When those words were transliterated, they kept a bare Q.
So the list is short, and almost every word on it tells a little story about where it came from.
Q without U words by length
The list below matches the U-less Q words in the Merriam-Webster Scrabble dictionary used in North American play. Plurals are included because they are separate playable words.
| Length | Words |
|---|---|
| 2 letters | QI |
| 3 letters | QAT, QIS |
| 4 letters | CINQ, QADI, QAID, QATS, QOPH |
| 5 letters | CINQS, FAQIR, NIQAB, QADIS, QAIDS, QAJAQ, QANAT, QAPIK, QIBLA, QOPHS, TRANQ |
| 6 letters | FAQIRS, NIQAAB, NIQABS, QABALA, QAJAQS, QANATS, QAPIKS, QIBLAS, QIGONG, QINDAR, QINTAR, QWERTY, SHEQEL, TRANQS |
| 7 letters | KAMOTIQ, NIQAABS, QABALAH, QABALAS, QAWWALI, QIGONGS, QINDARS, QINTARS, QWERTYS, SHEQELS |
| 8 letters | KAMOTIQS, MBAQANGA, QABALAHS, QAWWALIS, QINDARKA, SHEQALIM |
| 9 letters | MBAQANGAS |
Players who use the international Collins word list get extra options, including SUQ (a market), FIQH (Islamic jurisprudence), WAQF (a charitable endowment), BURQA, TALAQ, QORMA and UMIAQ. Always check which dictionary your game or club uses.
What the Q without U words mean
Knowing the meaning makes the spelling stick. Here are the core words.
| Word | Meaning | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| QI | Vital energy or life force in Chinese thought (also spelled chi) | Chinese |
| QAT | An evergreen shrub whose leaves are chewed as a stimulant (also khat) | Arabic |
| CINQ | The number five on dice or cards | French |
| QADI | A judge in a Muslim community | Arabic |
| QAID | A local Muslim leader or chief (also caid) | Arabic |
| QOPH | The 19th letter of the Hebrew alphabet | Hebrew |
| FAQIR | A religious ascetic (also fakir) | Arabic |
| NIQAB | A face veil worn by some Muslim women (also NIQAAB) | Arabic |
| QAJAQ | A kayak | Inuit |
| QANAT | An underground channel that carries water | Arabic / Persian |
| QAPIK | A coin of Azerbaijan, one hundredth of a manat | Azerbaijani |
| QIBLA | The direction Muslims face in prayer | Arabic |
| TRANQ | Short for tranquilizer | English clipping |
| QABALA | Jewish mystical tradition (also kabbalah, QABALAH) | Hebrew |
| QIGONG | Chinese practice of breathing and movement | Chinese |
| QINDAR | A monetary unit of Albania (plural QINDARS or QINDARKA) | Albanian |
| QINTAR | Another spelling of QINDAR | Albanian |
| QWERTY | The standard keyboard layout, named for its top-left letters | English |
| SHEQEL | The currency of Israel (plural SHEQALIM or SHEQELS) | Hebrew |
| KAMOTIQ | A type of sled | Inuit |
| QAWWALI | A style of Sufi devotional music | Arabic / Urdu |
| MBAQANGA | A style of South African popular music | Zulu |
Words that start with Q without U
If you want words that begin with Q and do not use U at all, your best options are the Q-starting words above: QI, QAT, QADI, QAID, QOPH, QAJAQ, QANAT, QAPIK, QIBLA, QABALA, QIGONG, QINDAR, QINTAR, QWERTY, QABALAH, QAWWALI and QINDARKA. The words where Q appears in the middle or end are CINQ, FAQIR, NIQAB, TRANQ, SHEQEL, KAMOTIQ and MBAQANGA.
How to remember the list
You do not need all 50 forms in the table. Most players learn a core of about a dozen and pick up the rest over time.
- Start with the tiny four: QI, QAT, QADI, QAID. These are the workhorses, because they fit almost anywhere on a board.
- Group by theme. Money: QAPIK, QINDAR, QINTAR, SHEQEL. Faith and law: QADI, QIBLA, FAQIR, QABALA. Music: QAWWALI, MBAQANGA. Inuit travel: QAJAQ, KAMOTIQ. Everyday English: TRANQ, QWERTY.
- Note the doubles. Several words have a familiar twin: QAT/khat, QAID/caid, FAQIR/fakir, QABALA/kabbalah, QI/chi. Remembering the twin reminds you the Q form exists.
- Learn plurals as a pack. Most take a plain S (QIS, QATS, QADIS). The odd ones are SHEQALIM and QINDARKA.
- Drill with flashcards. Put the word on one side and the meaning plus a hook on the other. Five minutes a day for a week is enough for the core list.
When Q without U words help in games
In tile games where you draw letters, a Q without a U on your rack is one of the worst spots to be in. These words are your escape hatch. QI in particular is famous because it needs just one extra letter, and I is the most common vowel in many tile sets.
A few practical tips:
- Keep QI in mind first. If an I is on the board, QI may play in two directions.
- Look for an A. QAT, QADI and QAID all start QA.
- Do not hold Q for long. Many experienced players would rather swap a lonely Q than wait for a U.
- Know your dictionary. Casual games and apps may use a different list. A word legal in one may not be legal in another.
Letter-grid puzzles like the daily Spelling Bee are different. You build words from seven letters, and Q is rarely one of them. When a puzzle does include Q, the answers depend on that game's own word list, which is curated and tends to leave out obscure loanwords. So treat this list as a word-game reference, not a guarantee of what any particular puzzle will accept. Our Spelling Bee word checker is the quickest way to test a word, and our spelling bee strategy guide covers rare letters in general. (Spelling Bee Hub is an independent fan site, not affiliated with The New York Times.)
Hooks and extensions worth knowing
A "hook" is a letter you can add to the front or back of a word to make a new one. Q words have a handful of useful hooks, and knowing them turns one play into two.
| Base word | Hook | New word |
|---|---|---|
| QI | S at the end | QIS |
| QAT | S at the end | QATS |
| QADI | S at the end | QADIS |
| QAID | S at the end | QAIDS |
| QOPH | S at the end | QOPHS |
| CINQ | S at the end | CINQS |
| TRANQ | S at the end | TRANQS |
| NIQAB | A inside (a different spelling) | NIQAAB |
There are almost no front hooks for these words, so the S hook is the one to remember. If you see QI or QAT already on a board and you hold an S, you may be able to score the Q a second time.
Common mistakes with Q without U words
- Mixing up spellings. QINDAR and QINTAR are both valid; QINDER is not. SHEQEL takes an E in both syllables.
- Assuming the twin works too. KHAT, CAID and FAKIR are valid words in many lists, but they are not Q words, so they will not help you place a Q.
- Forgetting the plural forms. SHEQALIM and QINDARKA are easy to miss because they do not end in S.
- Using proper nouns. Qatar, Iraq and Qantas skip the U, but names and places are not allowed in most word games.
- Trusting memory over the dictionary. If a prize or a streak is on the line, check the word in the game's own dictionary first.
Fun facts about Q
- Q is one of the least used letters in English writing.
- QWERTY is a rare English-made Q-without-U word, coined from the first six letters on the top row of a keyboard.
- TRANQ is the only common one formed by clipping an English word, tranquilizer.
- Some Q-without-U spellings are just one of several English spellings for the same loanword. Iraq and Qatar are well-known place names that skip U, but proper nouns are not allowed in most word games.
- The Hebrew letter QOPH gave its shape and position to the Greek koppa and, eventually, to the Latin letter Q.
Practice: five-minute Q drill
Try this once a day for a week.
- Cover the meanings table and say what QI, QAT, QADI, QAID and QOPH mean.
- Write the six money and music words from memory.
- Spell the plurals of QADI, SHEQEL and QINDAR.
- Make a sentence with QIBLA and one with QWERTY.
- Check yourself against the tables above.
By day seven you will have the core list for good. For more word-play reading, see our pieces on the longest Spelling Bee words, perfect pangrams and holiday word games for family game night.
Frequently Asked Questions
What words have Q without U?
The most common are QI, QAT, QADI, QAID, QOPH, FAQIR, NIQAB, QANAT, QIBLA, TRANQ, QIGONG, QINTAR, QWERTY and SHEQEL. Most come from Arabic, Hebrew, Chinese, Albanian or Inuit languages.
Is QI a real word?
Yes. QI is a standard dictionary word for the vital energy or life force in Chinese thought, also spelled chi. It is one of the most useful two-letter words in tile games.
What is the longest word with Q but no U?
In the North American Scrabble dictionary the longest is MBAQANGAS, the plural of MBAQANGA, a style of South African popular music, at nine letters. The international Collins list has longer ones such as QABALISTIC.
Why do some words have Q without U?
They are loanwords. Languages such as Arabic and Hebrew have a consonant often written as Q in Latin letters, and that sound is not the English kw sound, so no U was added when the word was spelled in English.
Are Q without U words allowed in every word game?
No. Each game uses its own dictionary. Tile games that follow official Scrabble word lists accept the words above, but casual apps and daily puzzles may use smaller curated lists, so check before you count on one.
Is QAT the same as khat?
Yes. QAT, KHAT and KAT are different English spellings of the same shrub, whose leaves are chewed as a stimulant in parts of East Africa and the Arabian Peninsula.