The Z tile is worth ten points in both Scrabble and Words With Friends, sharing the top of the value chart with Q, and it is the friendlier of the two because it needs no partner letter to work. This page collects all 532 words that start with Z, with filtering, point values in both scoring systems, and one tap copy on every entry.
No two letter play, so learn the threes
There is no two letter Z word in this dictionary, a gap Z shares only with C, Q, and V, and the reason the missing ZA question gets its own answer below. That makes the three letter tier essential equipment. Zag, zap, zig, zip, and zoo will surface on their own, but zax is the one to memorize: 19 points for three tiles, with the Z and X in one compact package. Zek, a labor camp prisoner in Russian slang, and zin, short for zinfandel, round out the tier's odd corners.
The zyzzyva flex
Every letter section has a trophy word, and Z owns the best one. Zyzzyva, a tropical weevil that lurks at the end of printed dictionaries, scores 43 points on exactly seven tiles, making it a theoretical bingo that would also empty the bag of every Z lookalike you can find. You will probably never play it. Knowing it exists is its own reward.
Everyday zip
Most Z plays are humbler and still profitable. Zebra, zero, zesty, zilch, zippy, zonked, zodiac, zither, and zealot all read like normal vocabulary while carrying that ten point payload up front. Zazen, seated meditation in Zen practice, quietly pays 23. The family is deepest at seven letters, where 125 entries live, so a Z bingo is a real possibility rather than a fantasy.
Honest numbers
The Z list holds 532 entries out of 172,823 in the whole dictionary, and both figures are computed from the source file on every build. When a bigger site shows a bigger number, it is counting from a different lexicon, not finding words we lost. The dictionary page lays out our list, its public domain license, and every count behind this site.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is ZA not in this list?
ZA, the slang term for pizza, entered the official tournament dictionaries after ENABLE, the open lexicon this site is built on, was compiled. If your game uses a newer list, ZA may be legal there even though it is absent here. Our dictionary page explains exactly which list we use, why we chose it, and how the two differ in spirit.
What is a zyzzyva and is it really playable?
A zyzzyva is a tropical American weevil, famous for being the last entry in many dictionaries, and yes, it is in this list. It scores 43 points on seven tiles before any bonus, and its plural reaches 44, though in Scrabble you would need blanks for the extra Z and Y tiles. It is the highest scoring word in the entire Z family.
What are the three letter Z words?
There are 12 of them: zag, zap, zax, zed, zee, zek, zig, zin, zip, zit, zoa, and zoo. The standout is zax, a tool for trimming roof slates, which pays 19 points on three tiles. Zed and zee both name the letter Z itself, one British, one American, and both are legal here.
What are good five letter Z words for Wordle style games?
The pool holds 51 five letter entries. Zebra, zesty, and zilch are the ones that come up in real puzzles, while zonal and zoned cover the common vowel frames. Z starts an answer very rarely, so save these for the moment yellow tiles leave you no other explanation.