Complete List of 2-Letter Scrabble Words (TWL & SOWPODS)
Two-letter words are the foundation of competitive Scrabble. They let you play parallel to existing words, open tight board positions, and dump awkward tiles. If you don't know them cold, you're leaving points on the table every single turn. This guide covers every 2-letter Scrabble word accepted in both the TWL (North American) and SOWPODS (international) dictionaries.
Need to find longer words from your rack? Head to the word unscrambler and enter your tiles for instant answers.
Why Two-Letter Words Win Games
Consider this: you have the letters A and E on your rack with no obvious bingos. An opponent's word ends in T. Play AT alongside it and you score on two words simultaneously. That's the power of two-letter words — they multiply scoring opportunities that longer words can't access.
In tournament play, top players use two-letter words on over half their turns. Knowing every one isn't optional at that level; it's baseline competency.
Complete 2-Letter Word List (TWL)
The TWL (Tournament Word List) is the official dictionary for North American Scrabble. It accepts 107 two-letter words:
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AA, AB, AD, AE, AG, AH, AI, AL, AM, AN, AR, AS, AT, AW, AX, AY | BA, BE, BI, BO, BY | — | DA, DE, DO | ED, EF, EH, EL, EM, EN, ER, ES, ET, EW, EX | FA, FE | GI, GO | HA, HE, HI, HM, HO | ID, IF, IN, IS, IT | JO | KA, KI | LA, LI, LO | MA, ME, MI, MM, MO, MU, MY | NA, NE, NO, NU | OD, OE, OF, OH, OI, OM, ON, OP, OR, OS, OW, OX, OY | PA, PE, PI, PO | QI | RE | SH, SI, SO | TA, TI, TO | UH, UM, UN, UP, US, UT | — | WE, WO | XI, XU | YA, YE | ZA |
That table is dense, so here's a clearer alphabetical list of the ones most players overlook:
- AA — rough, cindery lava
- AE — Scottish for one
- AI — a three-toed sloth
- EF — the letter F
- EM — the letter M (also a typographic unit)
- EN — the letter N
- ER — used in hesitation
- ET — Scottish dialect for "ate"
- GI — a martial arts uniform
- HM — used to express thought
- JO — Scottish for sweetheart
- KA — Egyptian spirit
- KI — variant of qi
- MM — used to express assent
- NU — a Greek letter
- OD — a hypothetical force
- OI — used to attract attention
- OP — a style of abstract art
- OS — a bone; an orifice
- OW — used to express pain
- OY — used to attract attention
- QI — the vital force in Chinese philosophy
- RE — the second note of a scale
- SH — used to urge silence
- SI — a variant of ti (musical note)
- UT — the first note of a scale (older form of "do")
- XU — a Vietnamese monetary unit
- ZA — slang for pizza
SOWPODS-Only Two-Letter Words
The SOWPODS dictionary (used in international play) includes several two-letter words that TWL does not recognize:
- DA — Scottish for "did"
- DI — a type of pickup truck
- EE — Scottish for "eye"
- FY — an interjection
- GI — already in TWL
- OK — meaning "all right" (not in TWL)
- OW — already in TWL
- TI — a plant (already in TWL)
- UN — already in TWL
- UR — ancient city or prefix
If you play in international tournaments or on platforms using SOWPODS, add DA, DI, EE, FY, OK, and UR to your study list.
High-Scoring Two-Letter Words
Not all two-letter words are created equal. These score the most per play:
- QI — 12 points (Q=10 + I=1). The single best two-letter word to know. Play it on a triple letter for 32 points.
- ZA — 11 points (Z=10 + A=1). ZA across a double word scores 22.
- AX — 9 points (A=1 + X=8). Hook an X onto any A.
- OX — 9 points (O=1 + X=8).
- EX — 9 points (E=1 + X=8).
- JO — 9 points (J=8 + O=1).
- XI — 9 points (X=8 + I=1).
- XU — 9 points (X=8 + U=1).
Verify any of these with our solver for QI or the word unscrambler for ZA.
How to Study Two-Letter Words
- Learn by vowel. Group them: what starts with A? AB, AD, AE, AG, AH, AI, AL, AM, AN, AR, AS, AT, AW, AX, AY. Then B: BA, BE, BI, BO, BY. Rote memorization per starting letter is faster than alphabetical.
- Focus on the weird ones. You already know AT, GO, IT, NO. Study AA, EF, EM, EN, JO, KA, KI, MM, NU, OD, OI, OP, OS, OW, OY, QI, RE, SH, SI, UT, XU, ZA.
- Learn the hooks. Every two-letter word can potentially take an S in front or behind. Know which ones do: AX becomes AXE, AXES; OX becomes OXES; QI becomes QIS. Check any word on our OX unscrambler page.
- Use flashcards. Write each obscure word on one side and its definition on the other. Drill daily for two weeks and they'll stick.
Two-letter words are the single most impactful thing to memorize for Scrabble improvement. Pair them with the blog resources on our site for deeper study, and keep the unscrambler handy for when you need to find every possible play from your rack.
Unscramble any set of letters instantly — Try Word Unscrambler now.