How many words start with ZA?

This page lists 90 words starting with ZA, each shown with its Scrabble score.

Are these words valid in official Scrabble play?

Not necessarily. This site uses the open ENABLE word list; check the official dictionary used by your game or tournament.

Words Starting With ZA

All 90 words in our dictionary that begin with ZA, sorted by Scrabble score. Use them to open a word on the board or fill a crossword clue.

90 words · number = Scrabble score · sorted highest score first

zabajones27 zarzuelas27 zabajone26 zarzuela26 zaddikim25 zaddick24 zanzas24 zazens24 zabagliones23 zanza23 zazen23 zabaglione22 zaffars22 zaffers22 zaffirs22 zaffres22 zamindaris22 zanyish22 zapateados22 zaptiahs22 zaptiehs22 zaddik21 zaffar21 zaffer21 zaffir21 zaffre21 zamindari21 zamindars21 zapateado21 zappiest21 zapping21 zappy21 zaptiah21 zaptieh21 zaxes21 zabaiones20 zaikais20 zamindar20 zapped20 zappers20 zappier20 zabaione19 zacatons19 zaftig19 zagging19 zaibatsu19 zaikai19 zamarras19 zamarros19 zaninesses19 zapateos19 zapper19 zareebas19 zax19 zacaton18 zagged18 zamarra18 zamarro18 zanily18 zapateo18 zaratites18 zarebas18 zareeba18 zaribas18 zastruga18 zastrugi18 zayins18 zamias17 zanders17 zaniness17 zaratite17 zareba17 zarfs17 zariba17 zayin17 zamia16 zananas16 zander16 zaniest16 zany16 zarf16 zaires15 zanana15 zanier15 zanies15 zaps15 zags14 zaire14 zap14 zag13

Playing words that start with ZA

Leading with ZA lets you hook onto open columns and reach premium squares. Scan the high-scoring entries above first — they offer the best return when you have the tiles.

A quick statistical tour

The shape of this list: 90 entries between 3 and 11 letters long, peaking at 7 letters with 23 words. Five-letter picks number 8 and seven-letter picks 23. Nothing here outscores ZABAJONES — 27 points from 9 tiles on plain squares.

The five biggest scorers on the page: ZABAJONES (27), ZARZUELAS (27), ZABAJONE (26), ZARZUELA (26), ZADDIKIM (25). The longest entry is ZABAGLIONES at 11 letters, and the average word here is worth about 19 points. Letter-wise, A is the workhorse — it appears in 90 of these words, ahead of Z (90) and I (43).

Start with these three

ZAIRES earns 15 points from just 6 tiles — and it is a word few opponents will bother to challenge.
ZANANA is easy to keep in memory: 6 letters, 15 points, and no awkward tiles to hunt for.
ZANIER — 6 letters for 15 points; every tile in it is a common draw, so it shows up rack after rack.

Round out your set with ZANIES (15), ZANDER (16), ZAIRE (14), ZAMIAS (17), ZAREBA (17) — all built from common tiles.

One chunk, many words: ZA

Groups like this one reward a different kind of practice: pick five words of different lengths from the list above, write each in a sentence, and the ZA pattern moves into long-term memory. It is also a quiet Scrabble edge — racks that spell ZA plus common tiles come up constantly, and prepared players cash them in while others shuffle letters.

More starting letters

Narrow it down

Combine a starting letter with a length or pattern in the Word Finder for exact matches.