Scrabble: the three letter words

In Scrabble, three-letter words are a crucial part of any winning strategy. Though they may seem small, these tiny words pack a powerful punch, allowing players to open up the board, create multiple words at once, and rack up points in tight spaces.

Learning a strong list of three-letter words can be a game-changer, especially when you’re stuck with awkward tiles or need to squeeze into a crowded board. Words like BOX, JAR, ZAP, and FIX not only help you get rid of high-value letters like X, Z, and J, but they also earn big points thanks to their letter values.

Some three-letter words are less common but extremely useful, such as QAT (a plant), WEX (an old form of “wax”), and VOX (Latin for “voice”). Knowing these can give you an edge when you’re faced with tricky racks.

Many serious Scrabble players memorize three-letter word lists approved by the official comprehensive SCRABBLE™ word list from Collins. Mastery of these words lets players weave clever plays and maximize premium squares like double and triple letter scores.

If you want to improve at Scrabble, start by studying the three-letter words along with definitions from the lists below.

Full list of three-letter words in Scrabble™


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.

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