Every Two-Letter Word, and the Six Worth Nine Points
All 96 two-letter words in our word-game dictionary, which ones score the most, and how to use them to squeeze points out of a crowded board.
· 1 min read
Two-letter words are the most useful words in any tile game. They let you lay a word alongside another one, scoring both, and they get a high-value tile onto a bonus square without opening up the board for your opponent.
Our dictionary has 96 two-letter words. Here they all are, most common first. Tap the speaker on any word to hear it.
- al2
- am4
- an2
- as2
- at2
- be4
- by7
- de3
- do3
- go3
- he5
- hi5
- if5
- in2
- is2
- it2
- la2
- me4
- my7
- no2
- of5
- oh5
- on2
- or2
- re2
- so2
- to2
- up4
- us2
- we5
- aa2
- ab4
- ad3
- ah5
- ai2
- ar2
- aw5
- ba4
- bi4
- bo4
- ed3
- eh5
- el2
- em4
- en2
- er2
- et2
- ex9
- fa5
- ha5
- ho5
- id3
- jo9
- li2
- lo2
- ma4
- mi4
- mm6
- mo4
- na2
- ne2
- op4
- os2
- pa4
- si2
- ta2
- uh5
- um4
- un2
- xi9
- ya5
- ye5
- yo5
- ae2
- ag3
- ax9
- ay5
- ef5
- es2
- hm7
- ka6
- mu4
- nu2
- od3
- om4
- ow5
- ox9
- oy5
- pe4
- pi4
- sh5
- ti2
- ut2
- wo5
- xu9
- oe2
The highest-scoring two-letter words
Six two-letter words are worth 9 points before bonuses, because each contains a J or an X:
| Word | Points | Tip |
|---|---|---|
| AX | 9 | Also spelled AXE |
| EX | 9 | A former partner; the plural is EXES |
| OX | 9 | Useful beside an O already on the board |
| XI | 9 | The Greek letter |
| XU | 9 | A unit of Vietnamese currency |
| JO | 9 | A Scots word for a sweetheart |
Put one of these on a triple-letter square in both directions and the X or J counts twice, which is how a two-letter play can score 50 points or more.
Two notes before you play
- QI and ZA aren't in our list. Some newer official word lists accept them, but the ENABLE list we use does not. Check your game's rules before relying on them.
- Short words are rarely obvious. Many are interjections (HM, SH, OW), letters of the Greek or Hebrew alphabet (MU, NU, XI) or musical notes (DO, RE, MI, FA, LA, TI).
Find more short words
- All 2-letter words and 3-letter words
- Stuck with a rack of tiles? The Scrabble Word Finder ranks every play by score
- Not sure a word is allowed? Check it with the Word Checker