Two-letter words Proper names, and abbreviations that are not pronounced as they are spelt, such as Dr and Mr, are not included, since they are not allowed in most word games.

aa rough cindery lava
ab an abdominal muscle
ad an advertisement
ag S African: a general exclamation
ah an exclamation
ai the three-toed sloth
aw an exclamation
ax dialect form of ask
ay variant spelling of aye
ba the soul, in Egyptian mythology
bi bisexual
bo a kind of fig tree
da a person’s father
DJ a disc jockey
dy a type of sentiment
ee dialect form of oh
eh an exclamation
El an elevated railway
em a measuring unit in printing
en a measuring unit in printing
er expressing doubt or hesitation
ex a former spouse or partner
fa a musical note
Ga a people in Ghana
GI a US soldier
ha an exclamation
hi a greeting
ho an exclamation
id a part of the mind
if introducing a conditional clause
io a North American moth
ja S African: yes
jo Scottish, archaic, a sweetheart
ju a kind of Chinese pottery
ka the spirit, in Egyptian mythology
ki a plant of the lily family
KO a knockout in boxing
la a musical note
li a Chinese unit of distance
lo archaic: used to draw attention to something
ma a person’s mother
MD British: a managing director
mi a musical note
mo a moment
MP a Member of Parliament
mu a Greek letter
nu a Greek letter
ob a type of gene
od a supposed natural force
og Australian archaic: a shilling
oh an exclamation
oi used to attract attention
OJ orange juice
OK used to express assent, agreement, etc
om a sacred mantra
on supported by or covering
op an operation
or used to link alternatives
os a bone
ou a Hawaiian bird
ow expressing pain
ox a cow or bull
oy = oi
Oz Australia
pa father
pi a Greek letter
po a chamber pot
qi the life force, in Chinese philosophy
ra a moraine, in Norway/Sweden
re a musical note
ri a Japanese unit of strength
se a Chinese musical instrument
si = te
so therefore
ta thank you
te a musical note
ti = te
TV television
uh expressing hesitation
um expressing hesitation
up towards a higher position
us the objective case of we
Wa a people on the borders of China and Burma
we oneself and other people
Wu a dialect of Chinese
xi a Greek letter
xu a Vietnamese unit of money
ye archaic: the plural form of thou
Yi a people in parts of China
yo used as a greeting
yu an ancient Chinese wine container

Three-letters words containing x or z

axe a chopping tool
biz business
box a container
coz archaic: a cousin
cox the person who steers a rowing boat
dux Scottish: a top pupil at school
dzo a crossbreed of a cow and yak
fax an electronic copy of a document
fez a type of hat
fix to attach or repair
fox an animal
hex North American: to cast a spell on someone
lax not strict or careful enough
lox North American: smoked salmon
lux a unit of illumination
max maximum
Mex Mexican
mix to blend or combine
nix nothing
pax a call for a truce
pix pictures
pox a disease
pyx a container for Communion bread
Rex the reigning king
sax saxophone
saz a kind of lute
sex being male or female
six the number
tax money paid to a government
tux a tuxedo
Uzi a type of sub-machinegun
vex to annoy
vox vocals; voice
wax substance used to make candles etc
wiz = whizz
zag a sharp change of direction
zap to destroy
zed the letter Z
zee North American: the letter Z
Zen a type of Buddhism
zig a sharp change of direction
zip a fastener
zit a spot
zol South African: a hand-rolled cigarette
zoo a place where wild animals are kept

Words containing q not followed by u

burqa = burka, a long garment worn by Muslim women
fiqh the theory or philosophy of Islamic law
Iraqi a person from Iraq; relating to Iraq
niqab a Muslim woman’s veil
qadi a Muslim judge
qanat an irrigation tunnel
qasida an Arabic or Persian poem
qawwal a qawwali singer
qawwali Muslim devotional music
qi the life force, in Chinese philosophy
qibla the direction towards Mecca
qigong a Chinese system of physical exercises
qin a Chinese musical instrument
qintar an Albanian unit of money
qiviut wool from the musk ox
qwerty the standard layout of a computer keyboard
tariqa the Sufi method of spiritual learning

Words beginning with x

xanthan a polysaccharide
xanthate a chemical compound
xanthene a chemical compound
xanthic yellowish
xanthin a yellow colouring matter
xanthine a biochemical compound
xanthoma a yellow patch on the skin
xebec a sailing ship
xeme a forktailed gull
xenia gifts to a guest or guests
xenial relating to hospitality
xenon a gaseous chemical element
xeric very dry
xeroma abnormal dryness of a body part
xerophyte a plant needing very little water
Xhosa a South African people or their language
xi a Greek letter
Xiang a dialect of Chinese
xiphoid sword-shaped
xoanon a wooden image of a god
xography a photographic process
xu a Vietnamese unit of money
xylan a compound found in wood
xylary of or relating to xylem
xylem plant tissue
xylene a liquid hydrocarbon
xylite a volatile liquid
xylitol a chemical substance
xylol = xylene
xylose a plant sugar
xyrid a sedge-like herb
xyster a surgical instrument
xynston an ancient Greek spear
xystus an ancient Greek portico

— © Oxford University Press 2007 Extracted from The Oxford Dictionary and Thesaurus (ed. Maurice Waite, 2007) Buy The Oxford Dictionary and Thesaurus (RRP £30) for the offer price of £25.50 (inc p&p) from BooksFirst on 0870 1608080

My favourite word: Supernacular

An adjective that describes the very finest drink, usually wine. It derives from the practice of upturning a just-emptied glass on to one’s fingernail to prove that not a drop remains. The word has an inherently pleasing ring to it but the real joy of using it is that fine wine is usually close to hand.

— BEN SCHOTT, miscellanist

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