9-letter words starting with Q

The 211 9-letter words starting with Q include QUESTIONS, QUALIFIED, and the top scorer QUIZZICAL.

211 wordsTop pick QUESTIONSHighest score QUIZZICAL 38

8 of 211 are everyday words (4%). Mostly rare words: great for Scrabble, tough for daily puzzles.

Letter
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z

S starts the most 9-letter words (5,075); X starts the fewest (44). Q ranks #23 of 26. The bar under each letter shows the size of its list.

Length
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15

Best words to play first 211 · most-used first

QUESTIONS₁₈
QUALIFIED₂₂
QUALITIES₁₈
QUARTERLY₂₁
QUOTATION₁₈
QUALIFIER₂₁
QUALIFIES₂₁
QUADRUPLE₂₁
QUADRATIC₂₁
QUICKNESS₂₄
QUARTERED₁₉
QUIDDITCH₂₅
QUIVERING₂₂
QUARRYING₂₂
QUICKSAND₂₅
QUENCHING₂₄
QUADRANTS₁₉
QUICKENED₂₅
QUARTZITE₂₇
QUIETNESS₁₈
QUIESCENT₂₀
QUARRELED₁₉
QUANTIZED₂₈
QUOTIDIAN₁₉
QUICKSTEP₂₆
QUIZZICAL₃₈
QUIBBLING₂₃
QUEERNESS₁₈
QUINTUPLE₂₀
QUADRILLE₁₉
QUOTIENTS₁₈
QUADRUPED₂₂
QUERCETIN₂₀
QUINTILES₁₈
QUAALUDES₁₉
QUICKLIME₂₆
QUATRAINS₁₈
QUARRYMEN₂₃
QUAVERING₂₂
QUITCLAIM₂₂
QUARTILES₁₈
QUADRATUS₁₉
QUIETENED₁₉
QUINOLINE₁₈
QUAGMIRES₂₁
QUERULOUS₁₈
QUIRKIEST₂₂
QUARTETTE₁₈

Showing the top 48 of 211 words. See every valid word

All valid words 211

A to Z. Includes rare and Collins-only words. Linked tiles open the word's meaning, score and rhymes.

QABALISMS₂₂
QABALISTS₂₀
QAIMAQAMS₃₁
QALAMDANS₂₁
QINGHAOSU₂₂
QUAALUDES₁₉
QUACKIEST₂₄
QUACKISMS₂₆
QUACKLING₂₅
QUADRANTS₁₉
QUADRATED₂₀
QUADRATES₁₉
QUADRATIC₂₁
QUADRATUS₁₉
QUADRELLA₁₉
QUADRICEP₂₃
QUADRIFID₂₃
QUADRIGAE₂₀
QUADRIGAS₂₀
QUADRILLE₁₉
QUADRIVIA₂₂
QUADROONS₁₉
QUADROTOR₁₉
QUADRUMAN₂₁
QUADRUPED₂₂
QUADRUPLE₂₁
QUADRUPLY₂₄
QUAEREING₁₉
QUAERITUR₁₈
QUAESITUM₂₀
QUAESTORS₁₈
QUAFFABLE₂₆
QUAGGIEST₂₀
QUAGMIRED₂₂
QUAGMIRES₂₁
QUAILINGS₁₉
QUAINTEST₁₈
QUAKINESS₂₂
QUAKINGLY₂₆
QUALIFIED₂₂
QUALIFIER₂₁
QUALIFIES₂₁
QUALITIED₁₉
QUALITIES₁₈
QUALMIEST₂₀
QUALMLESS₂₀
QUAMASHES₂₃
QUANDANGS₂₀
QUANDONGS₂₀
QUANTALLY₂₁
QUANTICAL₂₀
QUANTILES₁₈
QUANTISED₁₉
QUANTISER₁₈
QUANTISES₁₈
QUANTIZED₂₈
QUANTIZER₂₇
QUANTIZES₂₇
QUANTONGS₁₉
QUARENDEN₁₉
QUARENDER₁₉
QUARRELED₁₉
QUARRELER₁₈
QUARRIANS₁₈
QUARRIERS₁₈
QUARRIONS₁₈
QUARRYING₂₂
QUARRYMAN₂₃
QUARRYMEN₂₃
QUARTERED₁₉
QUARTERER₁₈
QUARTERLY₂₁
QUARTERNS₁₈
QUARTETTE₁₈
QUARTETTI₁₈
QUARTETTO₁₈
QUARTETTS₁₈
QUARTIERS₁₈
QUARTILES₁₈
QUARTZIER₂₇
QUARTZITE₂₇
QUARTZOSE₂₇
QUARTZOUS₂₇
QUATCHING₂₄
QUATORZES₂₇
QUATRAINS₁₈
QUAVERERS₂₁
QUAVERIER₂₁
QUAVERING₂₂
QUAYSIDES₂₂
QUAZZIEST₃₆
QUEACHIER₂₃
QUEASIEST₁₈
QUEAZIEST₂₇
QUEBRACHO₂₅
QUEECHIER₂₃
QUEENCAKE₂₄
QUEENCUPS₂₂
QUEENDOMS₂₁
QUEENHOOD₂₂
QUEENIEST₁₈
QUEENINGS₁₉
QUEENITES₁₈
QUEENLESS₁₈
QUEENLETS₁₈
QUEENLIER₁₈
QUEENLIKE₂₂
QUEENSHIP₂₃
QUEENSIDE₁₉
QUEERCORE₂₀
QUEERDOMS₂₁
QUEERNESS₁₈
QUELCHING₂₄
QUELLABLE₂₀
QUENCHERS₂₃
QUENCHING₂₄
QUENELLES₁₈
QUERCETIC₂₂
QUERCETIN₂₀
QUERCETUM₂₂
QUERCITIN₂₀
QUERIMONY₂₃
QUERULOUS₁₈
QUERYINGS₂₂
QUESTANTS₁₈
QUESTINGS₁₉
QUESTIONS₁₈
QUESTRIST₁₈
QUETCHING₂₄
QUETSCHES₂₃
QUETZALES₂₇
QUEUEINGS₁₉
QUIBBLERS₂₂
QUIBBLING₂₃
QUICKBEAM₂₈
QUICKENED₂₅
QUICKENER₂₄
QUICKLIME₂₆
QUICKNESS₂₄
QUICKSAND₂₅
QUICKSETS₂₄
QUICKSTEP₂₆
QUIDDITCH₂₅
QUIDDLERS₂₀
QUIDDLING₂₁
QUIDNUNCS₂₁
QUIESCENT₂₀
QUIESCING₂₁
QUIETENED₁₉
QUIETENER₁₈
QUIETINGS₁₉
QUIETISMS₂₀
QUIETISTS₁₈
QUIETIVES₂₁
QUIETNESS₁₈
QUIETSOME₂₀
QUIETUDES₁₉
QUIETUSES₁₈
QUIGHTING₂₃
QUILLAIAS₁₈
QUILLAJAS₂₅
QUILLBACK₂₆
QUILLINGS₁₉
QUILLWORK₂₅
QUILLWORT₂₁
QUILTINGS₁₉
QUINARIES₁₈
QUINCHING₂₄
QUINELLAS₁₈
QUINIDINE₁₉
QUINIELAS₁₈
QUINOIDAL₁₉
QUINOLINE₁₈
QUINOLINS₁₈
QUINOLONE₁₈
QUINONOID₁₉
QUINQUINA₂₇
QUINTAINS₁₈
QUINTETTE₁₈
QUINTETTI₁₈
QUINTETTO₁₈
QUINTETTS₁₈
QUINTILES₁₈
QUINTROON₁₈
QUINTUPLE₂₀
QUINTUPLY₂₃
QUINZHEES₃₀
QUIPPIEST₂₂
QUIPSTERS₂₀
QUIRISTER₁₈
QUIRKIEST₂₂
QUISLINGS₁₉
QUITCHING₂₄
QUITCLAIM₂₂
QUITRENTS₁₈
QUITTANCE₂₀
QUIVERERS₂₁
QUIVERFUL₂₄
QUIVERIER₂₁
QUIVERING₂₂
QUIVERISH₂₄
QUIXOTISM₂₇
QUIZZICAL₃₈
QUIZZINGS₃₇
QUODLIBET₂₁
QUOININGS₁₉
QUOTATION₁₈
QUOTATIVE₂₁
QUOTIDIAN₁₉
QUOTIENTS₁₈
QUOTITION₁₈

Letters by positionIn 98% of these words the 2nd letter is U.

2nd letter

U98%
A2%
I0%

3rd letter

A41%
I35%
E19%

5th letter

T23%
R16%
N8%

6th letter

I27%
E12%
A9%

8th letter

E25%
N15%
S10%

9th letter

S41%
E10%
R8%

Highest-scoring words

Scrabble and Words With Friends points, before board bonuses

Score spreadMost of these words score 18 in Scrabble; QUIZZICAL tops the list with 38. Scores before board bonuses.

1818 points: 55 words
19 points: 32 words
2020 points: 22 words
21 points: 22 words
2222 points: 21 words
23 points: 14 words
2424 points: 14 words
25 points: 7 words
2626 points: 6 words
27 points: 11 words
2828 points: 2 words
29 points: 0 words
3030 points: 1 words
31 points: 1 words
3232 points: 0 words
33 points: 0 words
3434 points: 0 words
35 points: 0 words
3636 points: 1 words
37 points: 1 words
3838 points: 1 words

Word	Scrabble	Words With Friends	Dictionaries
QUIZZICAL	38	41	All three
QUIZZINGS	37	40	Collins only
QUAZZIEST	36	37	Collins only
QAIMAQAMS	31	33	Collins only
QUINZHEES	30	31	NWL only
QUANTIZED	28	30	All three
QUICKBEAM	28	32	Collins only
QUARTZITE	27	28	All three
QUANTIZER	27	29	All three
QUETZALES	27	29	All three
QUINQUINA	27	31	Collins only
QUANTIZES	27	29	All three

Q is a rare opening for nine-letter entries: the list has only 211 words, compared with 5,075 starting with S. Familiar forms such as QUESTIONS and QUALITIES sit beside less everyday choices like QUARTZITE and QUIESCENT. The dictionary split matters, too: Collins and NWL2023 do not accept the same number of entries.

9-letter words starting with Q at a glance

The list contains 211 tournament-dictionary entries, far fewer than the 5,075 nine-letter words beginning with S.
Collins accepts 206 entries; NWL2023 accepts 142, so coverage changes with the game.
ENABLE includes 111 entries, and 177 of the 211 have definitions.
Only eight entries rank as common by English-word frequency, so many choices are specialist vocabulary.

Which letters end these Q words?

The endings are lopsided: 86 entries finish in S, while E and R follow with 21 and 17. QUESTIONS and QUALITIES fit the S-heavy pattern; QUALIFIER ends in R, while QUOTATION ends in N.

A final S is a useful clue when sorting a rack, but it does not identify every strong candidate. Check the last tile as well as the Q opening: QUARTERLY ends in Y, and QUICKSAND ends in D.

Across nearby Q lists, counts rise from 79 five-letter entries to 130 six-letter, 179 seven-letter, and 232 eight-letter words, then fall to 167 at ten letters.

Which Q starters score most in Scrabble?

Among 9-letter words starting with Q, QUIZZICAL leads at 38 points, followed by QUIZZINGS at 37 and QUAZZIEST at 36. QUANTIZED scores 28, while QUARTZITE scores 27.

The high values come from premium letters, not from how familiar a word sounds. QUIZZICAL is a standout rack score; QAIMAQAMS and QUINZHEES also score well, but are much less recognizable.

Only eight entries are common by frequency, and no single dictionary accepts every word here. Check your game's word list before playing an unfamiliar choice.

Questions people ask

How many 9-letter Q words end in S?

There are 86 nine-letter Q words ending in S. That makes S the most frequent final letter by a wide margin; E and R come next with 21 and 17 entries. QUESTIONS and QUALITIES are familiar examples of the S-ending group.

What is the highest-scoring 9-letter word starting with Q?

QUIZZICAL is the highest scorer at 38 points. QUIZZINGS follows at 37, and QUAZZIEST scores 36. Those face-value totals make the Z-heavy words stand out, though a game's dictionary still decides if they are legal.

Are all 211 Q words accepted in NWL2023?

No. NWL2023 includes 142 of the 211 entries, while Collins includes 206 and ENABLE includes 111. The lists overlap but are not identical, so check the word list used by your game before relying on an unfamiliar entry.

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