5 Letter Words Starting with Q
There are 53 5-letter English words that start with Q, ranging alphabetically from QAIDS to QURSH. Top Scrabble® scorers on this list: QUAKY (21), QUACK (20), QUICK (20). Roughly 15% of these words end in E, so an E-hook on the board is worth watching for.
Word list
Q
- QAIDS15 pts
- QANAT14 pts
- QOPHS19 pts
- QUACK20 pts
- QUADS15 pts
- QUAFF20 pts
- QUAGS15 pts
- QUAIL14 pts
- QUAIS14 pts
- QUAKE18 pts
- QUAKY21 pts
- QUALE14 pts
- QUALM16 pts
- QUANT14 pts
- QUARE14 pts
- QUARK18 pts
- QUART14 pts
- QUASH17 pts
- QUASI14 pts
- QUASS14 pts
- QUATE14 pts
- QUAYS17 pts
- QUEAN14 pts
- QUEEN14 pts
- QUEER14 pts
- QUELL14 pts
- QUERN14 pts
- QUERY17 pts
- QUEST14 pts
- QUEUE14 pts
- QUEYS17 pts
- QUICK20 pts
- QUIDS15 pts
- QUIET14 pts
- QUIFF20 pts
- QUILL14 pts
- QUILT14 pts
- QUINS14 pts
- QUINT14 pts
- QUIPS16 pts
- QUIPU16 pts
- QUIRE14 pts
- QUIRK18 pts
- QUIRT14 pts
- QUITE14 pts
- QUITS14 pts
- QUODS15 pts
- QUOIN14 pts
- QUOIT14 pts
- QUOTA14 pts
- QUOTE14 pts
- QUOTH17 pts
- QURSH17 pts
Point values shown are Scrabble® (letters only, before board bonuses). Browse deeper via the word-lists hub.
Top 10 highest-scoring words
Scored on letters only (no board bonuses). WWF uses different tile values from Scrabble — J, Q and Z are worth 10 points in WWF; X is worth 8.
| # | Word | Scrabble | WWF |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | quaky | 21 | 21 |
| 2 | quack | 20 | 22 |
| 3 | quick | 20 | 22 |
| 4 | quaff | 20 | 21 |
| 5 | quiff | 20 | 21 |
| 6 | qophs | 19 | 19 |
| 7 | quake | 18 | 19 |
| 8 | quark | 18 | 19 |
| 9 | quirk | 18 | 19 |
| 10 | quash | 17 | 17 |
Strategy for this list
Q is worth 10 in Scrabble but starts only ~900 words. Nearly all of them require QU- as the opening pair, which means holding a Q requires waiting for a U. The Q-without-U openers (QI, QAT, QOPH, QINDAR) are the escape valves. Q-openers with premium potential include QUAZY, QUIZ, QUARK. In Wordle, Q as a position-1 letter is very rare (QUERY, QUAIL, QUACK) — a Q-guess is a strong signal move in the mid-game.
FAQs
How many 5-letter words start with Q?
53 valid 5-letter English words begin with Q in the ENABLE English word list.
Are these valid in Wordle and Scrabble?
Words on this page come from the ENABLE English word list. UK Scrabble (Collins Scrabble Words) accepts the overwhelming majority; a handful may not be legal in the North American NASPA Word List (NWL2023).