Useful Words for Puzzles and Word Games

Two-letter words

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
am the present tense of be
an a form of the indefinite article
as used to convey relative extent or degree
at expressing location or time
aw an exclamation
ax dialect form of ask
ay variant spelling of aye
ba the soul, in Egyptian mythology
be to exist
bi bisexual
bo a kind of fig tree
by beside
da a person’s father
DJ a disc jockey
do to perform an action
dy a type of sediment
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
go to move or travel
ha an exclamation
he a male person or animal
hi a greeting
ho an exclamation
id a part of the mind
if introducing a conditional clause
in within
io a North American moth
is the present tense of be
it a thing
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 Brit. a managing director
me the objective case of the first-person pronoun I
mi a musical note
mo a moment
MP a Member of Parliament
mu a Greek letter
my belonging to me
no not any
nu a Greek letter
ob a type of gene
od a supposed natural force
of belonging to
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 or Sweden
re a musical note
ri a Japanese unit of length
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-letter words containing x or z

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

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
qibla the direction towards Mecca
qigong a Chinese system of physical excercies
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 fork-tailed 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
xerox to photocopy
Xhosa a South African people or their language
xi a Greek letter
Xiang a dialect of Chinese
xiphoid sword-shaped
Xmas Christmas
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
xyston an ancient Greek spear
xystus an ancient Greek portico