Every Two-Letter Scrabble Word (and How to Use Them)

Two-letter words are the connective tissue of Scrabble. They let you play parallel to another word, drop a high-value tile onto a premium square, and turn a cramped board into a scoring opportunity. If you only memorize one category of words, make it this one.

The complete TWL two-letter list

These 107 words are valid in North American tournament play (TWL). Every one of them is worth learning — most are short, and the payoff per minute of study is the highest of any list in the game.

aa, ab, ad, ae, ag, ah, ai, al, am, an, ar, as, at, aw, ax, ay, ba, be, bi, bo, by, de, do, ed, ef, eh, el, em, en, er, es, et, ew, ex, fa, fe, gi, go, ha, he, hi, hm, ho, id, if, in, is, it, jo, ka, ki, la, li, lo, ma, me, mi, mm, mo, mu, my, na, ne, no, nu, od, oe, of, oh, oi, ok, om, on, op, or, os, ow, ox, oy, pa, pe, pi, po, qi, re, sh, si, so, ta, te, ti, to, uh, um, un, up, us, ut, we, wo, xi, xu, ya, ye, yo, za

Words SOWPODS adds

If you play with the international Collins Scrabble Words list (SOWPODS), these additional twos are legal. They're worth knowing even in North America because they appear constantly in online play set to "international" rules.

ch, da, di, ea, ee, fy, gu, io, ko, ny, ob, oo, ou, st, ug, ur, yu, za, zo

How to actually use them

1. Parallel plays

The biggest gains come from playing a longer word parallel to one already on the board, with each adjacent pair forming a valid two-letter word. A five-letter play can easily score in two directions, often doubling or tripling your points.

2. Dumping awkward tiles

Holding QI, XI, ZA, JO, or KA lets you offload a high-value tile when your rack is stuck. QI alone has rescued more games than any opening book ever written.

3. Hooks

Many twos take a third letter to form a three: AE → AES, OE → OES, BO → BOA / BOO / BOP / BOS / BOT / BOW / BOX / BOY. Pairing two-letter knowledge with the common three-letter list multiplies your options.

Practice plan

Don't try to memorize all 107 at once. Group them by their unusual letter — every J, Q, X, and Z two first, then the vowel pairs (AA, AE, AI, OE, OI), then the rest. After a week you'll see them automatically on the board.