K-words from New Zealand

New Zealand has made a few additions to the language, mainly Māori words which have been absorbed into English, or they have in New Zealand anyway, all adding richness to our Scrabble game vocabulary. Most of these words contain a K, which can be an awkward letter. These words can help you play it and even turn it to your advantage if you land it on a premium square:

HAPUKA, HAPUKU a large fish

HIKOI a protest march

KAI food

KATIPO a venomous spider

KAURI a coniferous tree

KAWA protocol

KOHA a gift or donation

KORU a curved pattern

KUIA a female elder

KURI a mongrel dog

MOKI an edible fish

By Barry Grossman

Barry is a leading UK Scrabble player and winner of several tournaments. He is the author of Scrabble for Beginners (Chambers), Need to Know Scrabble, Scrabble – Play to Win and The Little Book of Scrabble Trickster. He has also contributed to numerous other books on the subject of words and word-games, has been a series champion of Channel 4’s Countdown, and has written four comedy series for BBC Radio 4. He lives in Hertford.

All opinions expressed on this blog are those of the individual writers, and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or policies of Collins, or its parent company, HarperCollins.

Related Articles

Other Articles

How many can play?

Scrabble, the instructions tell us, is a game for two to four players. You may well play in threes and fours at home. But step into a Scrabble club and you will find that all games are between two players. It’s impossible to plan ahead when there are more than… Read More

Edge the Endgame

At the very end of the game, give some careful thought not just to what you want to do but also to what your opponent might do. It’s useful if you have been tile-tracking – crossing every letter off a prepared list as it is played so that you know… Read More

Play to the Board

Some players start every turn by looking at their rack, working out a word on it they would like to play, then looking for somewhere to play it. You do certainly need to look at your rack, but at the same time, look at the board. See what letters are… Read More