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Z is the 23rd most common letter in English at about 0.074% — the rarest letter in standard English text. Most Z-initial English words are borrowings: ZERO (Arabic), ZOO (Greek), ZEBRA (African languages), ZUCCHINI (Italian), ZEITGEIST (German).
In Scrabble, Z is worth 10 points — tied with Q for the highest letter value — with only 1 Z tile in the bag. Z is the trophy tile of Scrabble; it is easier to place than Q because it doesn’t require a following U, so Z plays generate high scores more reliably than Q plays.
Short Z-words memorised by players: ZA, ZAS, ZEE, ZEP, ZIT, ZAX, ZOA, ZOO, ZUZ. High-scoring Z-words include PIZZA, PIZZAZZ, QUIZZED, ZEPHYR, JACUZZI. Placing Z on a triple-letter square while forming a word with another premium square is the Z player’s signature move.
The letter Z opens 1,170 words in this list (0.3% of the dictionary). Z is ranked 23rd in standard English letter-frequency tables and accounts for about 0.074% of written text.
The top-scoring Z-word in our list is ZYZZYVAS at 44 points (TWL letter values, before any premium-square bonuses). Z itself is worth 10 points as a tile.
Our shortest Z-starting word is ZA (2 letters). These short entries are tactically useful: play one onto a triple-letter square and you score fast without burning through your rack.