Using J, Q, X and Z

Last updated: October 1, 2026

J, Q, X and Z are the rare, high-value letters of English tile games. Each appears in only a small share of words, which is why they score so much and why they can get stuck on your rack. This guide counts how many words in Letterpile's list contain each one, lists the short words that make them easier to play, and gives practical tips. Words come from the open ENABLE word list. Different games use different dictionaries, so always check the rules of your game.

How rare are they?

For comparison, the list has 172,434 words in total. Each of these letters appears in only a few percent of them. 326 words contain two different letters from the four.

The shortest words with each letter

• J: the shortest word is JO (2 letters).
• Q: the shortest words are QAT, QUA and SUQ (3 letters).
• X: the shortest words are AX, EX, OX, XI and XU (2 letters).
• Z: the shortest words are ADZ, AZO, BIZ, COZ, FEZ, FIZ, WIZ, ZAG, ZAP, ZAX, ZED, ZEE, ZEK, ZIG, ZIN, ZIP, ZIT, ZOA and ZOO (3 letters).

Two-letter words with these letters are especially useful because they can be squeezed in almost anywhere. In this list they are AX, EX, JO, OX, XI and XU. X pairs with several vowels: AX, EX, OX, XI and XU. There is no two-letter word with Q or Z in the list this site uses.

Three-letter words

With J 25

haj jab jag jam jar jaw jay jee jet jeu jib jig jin job joe jog jot jow joy jug jun jus jut raj taj

With Q 3

qat qua suq

With X 35

axe box cox dex fax fix fox gox hex kex lax lex lox lux max mix nix oxo oxy pax pix pox pyx rax rex sax six sox tax tux vex vox wax xis zax

With Z 19

adz azo biz coz fez fiz wiz zag zap zax zed zee zek zig zin zip zit zoa zoo

Four-letter words: how many

96 four-letter words contain J; 16 four-letter words contain Q; 62 four-letter words contain X; 82 four-letter words contain Z. The 4-letter words page lists them all, and the Crossword Solver can find ones that fit a pattern, such as ?A?Z.

Why these letters are rare

Each of the four has its own history. J began as a variant way of writing I and was only gradually treated as a separate letter, so fewer older English words use it. Q appears almost only in the pair QU, which English took from Latin and French spelling. X often stands for the sound “ks”, which English usually spells other ways, and many X words come from Latin or Greek. Z is uncommon in native English words; a large share of Z words are borrowings or come from Greek. The counts in the table above reflect that history: these letters are rare in the word list because they were rare in the words English collected.

A worked example

Here is how one high-value tile changes the best plays for a rack, by base score with commonly used values. The rack ZAERTIO (with a Z) can make 81 words; the top three are AZOTE (14), ZAIRE (14), IZAR (13). Swap the Z for an S, giving SAERTIO, and the top three become AIREST (6), AORIST (6), ARIOSE (6). The Z rack has fewer words, but the ones it has score more, which is the trade-off these letters always bring.

Tips

• Aim for bonus squares. A high-value letter on a letter-multiplier square, ideally forming two words at once, is often worth more than a long word.
• Keep a vowel nearby. J, X and Z combine easily with vowels; AXE, OXO and OXY are short X words built around a vowel.
• Q needs planning. Most Q words need a U. The Q without U list is short enough to learn.
• Don't hold one too long. A high-value tile that can't be played costs points every turn you keep it. If no play is likely soon, consider using it for fewer points or swapping.

Holding or playing: a simple test

When you have one of these letters and no strong play, ask two questions. First, is there a vowel-rich spot on the board where a short word with the letter could touch a bonus square next turn? If so, holding it for one turn can pay. Second, how many of your other tiles would you have to keep alongside it? If holding the letter means also keeping awkward tiles, the cost grows quickly, and a lower-scoring play that uses it now is often the better choice. These are rules of thumb; the board in front of you decides.

The tile game word finder helps with the first question: add a board letter, and it shows only words that pass through it.

Values differ by game

The values above are the ones commonly used in Scrabble-style games. Words With Friends is commonly reported to value J at 10, Q at 10, X at 8 and Z at 10. See Letter Values and Tile Counts for both tables.