Winning Scrabble Words for Everyday People

This vowelless standout is pronounced KOOM and refers to a deep steep-walled basin on a mountain usually forming the blunt end of a valley. It may only have 3 letters, but it will earn you at least 10 points.

You will need to use a blank tile for mukluk (the standard game only comes with one K tile) but even without any double- or triple-score squares, this word will earn you 11 points. A mukluk is a sealskin or reindeer-skin boot typically worn by Indigenous peoples of arctic regions (such as in Alaska, Canada, or eastern Siberia).

This word for a duration of time in Hinduism covering a complete cosmic cycle from the origination to the destruction of a world system is worth 11 points by itself. Its plural, kalpas, is worth 12 points.

This q-without-u word is worth 12 points on its own. A qat is a shrub cultivated in the Middle East and Africa for its leaves and buds which are often used as tea. Its spelling variant khat earns you 11 points.

Another q-without-u word, qigong (pronounced CHEE-GOONG) refers to an ancient Chinese healing art involving meditation, controlled breathing, and movement exercises. Take a deep breath, because this one is worth 17 points.

You will get 19 points for whiz. A whiz is a hissing, buzzing, or whirring sound or a movement of something accompanied by a whizzing sound. It is not to be confused with a wiz, a person who is very good at something, and which will score you 15 points.

Janky, a word which is used to describe something of very poor quality, will get you 19 points. Don’t have a J? Hanky (an alternate spelling for hankie, the thing you blow your nose with) is still worth 15 points.

Zymase refers to an enzyme or enzyme complex of yeast that promotes fermentation of sugar. You will get 20 points for this 6-letter word with the high-scoring Z, Y, and M. Don’t have the M? Try zygote for 19 points.