Although seeing the letter X arrive on your rack may not be the most pleasant of surprises, this handy little cross could quite easily see you on your way to a win.
The letter ‘X’ provides the highest scoring two-letter words, with at least 9 points awarded for the Greek letter names ‘Ax’, ‘Ex’, ‘Ox’, ‘Xi’ and the Vietnamese coin ‘Xu’; whilst with ‘Zax’ (a hatchet-like tool) attaining a minimum of 19 points, it also gives you the highest scoring three-letter word.
In fact, X is the best of the high scorers: slip an X next to an already-played vowel, especially on a premium square, and earn up 30, 40 or even 50 points for a two-letter word.
Here are a few options for using up your Xs, and other tricky characters such as Q, Y and Z.
3 Letters:
PYX: “the container in which the consecrated bread of the Eucharist is kept.”
15 points minimum
OXY: “a combining form meaning “acute,” “acid,” used in the formation of compound words.”
13 points minimum
4 Letters:
XYST: “a long portico in ancient Greece or a Roman covered walkway.”
14 points minimum
FOXY: “resembling or likened to a fox; informal, (of a woman) sexually attractive.”
19 points minimum
JINX: “a person or thing that brings bad luck.”
21 points minimum
5 Letters:
ZAXES: “pl. the axis along which values of z are measured and at which both x and y equal zero.”
21 points minimum
XEROX: “a xerographic copying process or machine.”
19 points minimum
KYLIX: “a shallow two-handled drinking vessel used in ancient Greece.”
19 points minimum
6 Letters:
EXEQUY: “funeral rites or ceremonies.”
25 points minimum
7 Letters:
ASPHYXY: “asphyxiation, typically resulting in death.”
25 points minimum (up to 75 on premium squares)
ZOOTAXY: “the science of the classification of animals.”
26 points minimum
8 Letters:
QUIXOTRY: “A wild, visionary idea, an eccentric notion or act.”
27 points minimum
In 2006 Michael Cresta broke the record for highest single play, scoring 365 points with QUIXOTRY
MAXIMISE: “to make as large or great as possible or to make the best use of.”
28 points minimum (up to 78 on premium squares)
9 Letters:
EXOENZYME: “an enzyme that is secreted by a cell and acts outside of that cell”
30 points minimum
15 Letters:
OXYPHENBUTAZONE: “a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug.”
41 points minimum
This is theoretically the highest possible scoring word under legal US Scrabble tournament rules, scoring 1,780 points across three triple-word-score squares, joining seven tiles to eight already-played tiles.
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