US Markets Loading... h m s
Newsletters
Strategy
Mark Abadi
- The letter Q is almost always followed by a U in English, but that isn't always the case.
- Scrabble players tend to struggle with words using a Q, but experienced players know they don't need a U to follow it.
- There are a handful of words that English borrowed from other languages that flout that rule, like burqa, qat, and qabbalah.
Sign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. Read preview
Thanks for signing up!
Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go.
Advertisem*nt
Some things make perfect pairs.
Macaroni and cheese. Rocky and Bullwinkle. Hall and Oates.
The same can be said for two letters of the English alphabet: Q and U. Anyone who's taken a spelling class probably remembers their teacher telling them that in English, the Q must always be followed by a U.
Well, it turns out that's not exactly true. In reality, there are dozens of words in English that have a Q that isn't followed by a U. And no one knows this better than Scrabble players.
Advertisem*nt
Many of those words are borrowed from other languages. Arabic and Hebrew are two especially common sources, as in English the Q is often used to represent the more guttural "K" sound that appears in those languages. We can thank those languages for giving us words like "burqa," a full-body garment worn by some Muslim women, and "sheqel," the currency of Israel.
But Q-without-U words come all from all over the globe, from Mandarin to Inuit to Zulu. A couple of them are even "homegrown" English words with a modern twist. They're all in the English dictionary, and therefore allowed in Scrabble.
Here's a sample of the English words in which the Q stands alone.
Advertisem*nt
Burqa
Language of origin: Arabic
A burqa is a long, loose garment that covers the face and body and is worn by some Muslim women.
Advertisem*nt
Mbaqanga
Language of origin: Zulu
Mbaqanga is a style of music from South Africa that was popular in the 1960s. It combines elements of traditional music with jazz and big band.
Advertisem*nt
Niqab
Language of origin: Arabic
A niqab is a veil worn by some Muslim women that covers the hair and the face except for the eyes.
Advertisem*nt
Qabbala
Language of origin: Hebrew
Qabbala is a body of ancient, mystical Jewish teachings. It's often spelled kabbalah, kabbala, cabala, and a few other ways.
Advertisem*nt
Qajaq
Language of origin: Greenlandic
Qajaq is simply another way to spell kayak, a small boat similar to a canoe. Qajaq is a more authentic representation of the original word, according to a former editor of the Canadian Oxford Dictionary.
Advertisem*nt
Qat
Language of origin: Arabic
Qat, or khat, is a flowering plant that grows in the Middle East and Africa. Qat leaves are chewed as a stimulating drug similar in effect to a strong cup of coffee, and consumption of it is illegal in some countries.
Advertisem*nt
Qi
Language of origin: Mandarin
In Qi, pronounced "chee," is defined as "the circulating life force whose existence and properties are the basis of much Chinese philosophy and medicine."
Advertisem*nt
Qintar
Language of origin: Albanian
A qintar is a monetary unit of Albania. It used to be a subdivision of the Albanian lek, similar to a cents in the United States, but it is no longer circulated.
Advertisem*nt
Qiviut
Language of origin: Inuit
Qiviut is the wool of the undercoat of the musk ox, and is commonly used to make sweaters and scarves.
Advertisem*nt
Qwerty
Language of origin: N/A
Qwerty refers to the standard layout for computer keyboards used in English-speaking countries. It's not hard to see how the keyboard got its name — it's taken from the first six letters on the top row of the keyboard. Odds are you're probably staring at a qwerty keyboard right now.
Advertisem*nt
Sheqel
Language of origin: Hebrew
A sheqel or shekel is the basic monetary unit of Israel. It came into English thanks to the Hebrew Bible, and originally referred to a unit of weight.
Advertisem*nt
Suq
Language of origin: Arabic
A suq or souk is a bazaar, or a marketplace found throughout the Middle East and North Africa.
Advertisem*nt
Tranq
Language of origin: English
A tranq is an informal word for tranquilizer, a drug used to reduce anxiety and tension. Also spelled trank, it's been used in English since at least 1967, according to Merriam-Webster.
Advertisem*nt
Umiaq
Language of origin: Inuit
An umiaq or umiak is anopen boat made of a wooden frame and covered with hide. It's used mainly by indigenous people in the Arctic, including Alaska, Canada, Greenland, and Siberia.
Read next
Advertisem*nt
