A Definitive Ranking Of Every Two-Letter Scrabble Word Based On Definition

A ranking you didn't know you needed.

To date, there are 105 two-letter words playable in the game of Scrabble. The following ranking has nothing to do with point values.

All definitions provided by the Official Scrabble Players Dictionary. While many of these words have several meanings, I chose to use the first definition listed.

105.

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Definition: "the musical tone C in the French solmization system now replaced by do"

What?

104.

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Definition: "ti"

A two-letter word that means another two-letter word 🆒

103.

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Definition: "ti"

"Ti" is apparently so important we need two other words to describe it.

102.

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Definition: "a chamber pot"

Basically a bedpan, and bedpans make me sad.

101.

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Definition: "the 3rd person sing. neuter pronoun"

OR the terrifying movie that is responsible for me having to pull back the shower curtain every time I'm in a bathroom.

100.

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Definition: "ess"

And "ess" means the letter S, so there's that.

99.

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Definition: "the letter N"

It makes sense to have a phonetic spelling of letters, but should they really count as words?

98.

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Definition: "the letter R"

Yeah, this is just my opinion on letters at this point.

97.

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Definition: "the letter M"

This one gets the higher ranking only because it's my first initial.

96.

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Definition: "used before words beginning with a vowel sound"

Important but boring.

95.

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Definition: "present sing. 3d person of be"

Pretty standard.

94.

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Definition: "in the position of"

Basic.

93.

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Definition: "coming from"

Average.

92.

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Definition: "in the direction of"

Boring.

91.

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Definition: "present sing. 1st person of be"

Just gotta get these out of the way.

90.

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Definition: "to the same degree"

A little more interesting than the others but still pretty boring.

89.

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Definition: "the possessive form of the pronoun I"

Still here?

88.

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Definition: "1st person pl. pronoun in the nominative case"

Weeeeeeeeeeeeeee

87.

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Definition: "the objective case of the pronoun we"

Another OK word. Now if it were referring to the United States, then it would be first on this list.

86.

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Definition: "of; from — used in names"

It'd be pretty badass to have "de" in your name.

85.

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Definition: "one"

Sureeee.

84.

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Definition: "one"

More believable than "ae."

83.

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Definition: "used to express hesitation"

Does anyone actually "er" aloud? I've read it a lot in books but have yet to hear it in person.

82.

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Definition: "a possibility"

As if, man.

81.

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Definition: "to cross out"

Or that person you used to date who you sometimes think about texting even though you know it's a bad idea.

80.

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Definition: "a Hebrew letter"

Here we go with the letters again. The fact that it's Hebrew makes it slightly more interesting at least.

79.

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Definition: "a Hebrew letter"

Visually I like how "FE" looks more than "PE." "Fe" also doesn't remind me of high school gym class, which was undeniably my worst subject.

78.

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Definition: "a Greek letter"

Now for the Greek alphabet! This list is invigorating, isn't it?

77.

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Definition: "a Greek letter"

Only slightly cooler than "nu."

76.

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Definition: "a Greek letter"

Everyone loves π.

75.

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Definition: "a Greek letter"

Well, it does start with an X.

74.

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Definition: "the first tone of the diatonic musical scale"

Probably the most overrated tone, if I had to pick.

73.

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Definition: "the second tone of the diatonic musical scale"

Yeah, "re" is fine.

72.

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Definition: "the third tone of the diatonic musical scale"

I'm putting them in order because I really don't have strong opinions on any of these tones.

71.

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Definition: "the fourth tone of the diatonic musical scale"

I'm not trying to hate on the diatonic musical scale, truly, I love The Sound of Music.

70.

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Definition: "sol"

And sol is — you guessed it — the fifth tone of the diatonic musical scale.

69.

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Definition: "the sixth tone of the diatonic musical scale"

La's whatever.

68.

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Definition: "the seventh tone of the diatonic musical scale"

Reminder that "si" and "te" both mean "ti." So I guess this makes "ti" the most important tone. Congrats "ti."

67.

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Definition: "to work on with an ax"

Personally not a huge fan of cutting down trees.

66.

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Definition: "you"

Ye still reading?

65.

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Definition: "a style of abstract art"

Ugh, abstract art.

64.

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Definition: "a past tense of eat"

Since when though?

63.

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Definition: "an expression of gratitude"

Like, ta ta?

62.

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Definition: "used to express sudden pain"

No pain, no gain.

61.

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Definition: "oy"

Probably one of the better interjections.

60.

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Definition: "a moment"

Another mo and you'll almost be done with this post.

59.

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Definition: "used to attract attention or to express surprise"

We should start using this one more.

58.

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Definition: "a male person"

Eh, male people are OK.

57.

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Definition: "to raise"

Solid word, incredible movie.

56.

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Definition: "the letter F"

So this one is ranked higher than the others because it can actually be used in a sentence like, "Why the ef did I write this post?"

55.

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Definition: "an advertisement"

Sure some are annoying, but the clever ads are really great.

54.

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Definition: "a Chinese unit of distance"

里 <--- pretty cool

53.

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Definition: "an orifice"

I kind of hate the word "orifice," but have a lot more respect for the word "os" as 2-letter word.

52.

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Definition: "aah"

Aah, yes.

51.

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Definition: "to exclaim in surprise, pain, or desire"

OH! (Can you tell in what way I am exclaiming?)

50.

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Definition: "no; not"

The cool way to say no.

49.

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Definition: "used to express dismay or pain"

The more logical spelling of "oi."

48.

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Definition: "a sound of surprise"

I prefer a half-hearted laugh.

47.

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Definition: "used to express surprise"

Not sure we need another expression for surprise, but I do like this one the best.

46.

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Definition: "used to express hesitation"

Way better than "er."

45.

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Definition: "used to express protest, disgust, or disbelief"

Better definition: used to express how cute a dog is when you pass it on the street but can't pet it since you're not sure if it's ok with the owner, so you audibly react instead.

44.

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Definition: "to move along"

Overall an important word.

43.

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Definition: "to hesitate or pause in speaking"

Ummmmmm I'm running out of things to say, honestly.

42.

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Definition: "used to express assent or satisfaction"

"Mm mm mm" —Me as I bite into the grilled cheese that is the only thing salvaging my sanity as I continue writing this ridiculous post.

41.

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Definition: "the objective case of the pronoun I"

I love me.

40.

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Definition: "to have actuality"

That's deep right there.

39.

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Definition: "education"

Education's great, but is it as great as my Uncle Ed from New Hampshire????

38.

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Definition: "used to express doubt or surprise"

My reaction to most things, this post included.

37.

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Definition: "a pass in certain card games"

Cards are fun.

36.

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Definition: "an elevated railroad or train"

But probably also the letter L.

35.

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Definition: "woe"

Woe is me! and everyone who decided to read this post.

34.

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Definition: "used to urge silence"

I recently sh'd someone a couple months back at a showing of The Hobbit. I was terrified to do it, but so glad I did.

33.

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Definition: "aye"

"Ay" as in the affirmative vote. Not as fun as ayyyyyy though, which unfortunately is not a scrabble word.

32.

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Definition: "hmm"

Perfect for when you don't know how to respond to someone. For example, I'll send my manager this post and say, "Hey Matt, what do you think?" and he'll probably reply, "Hm," because it'll have rendered him speechless and not in a good way.

31.

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Definition: "a monetary unit of Vietnam"

Cool word, relatively cool meaning.

30.

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Definition: "the heraldic color gold"

This word easily could have ended up with the rest of the usuals up top, but thankfully Merriam-Webster decided to provide us with the more interesting definition.

29.

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Definition: "a mantra used in contemplation of ultimate reality"

Super profound. Everyone needs to let out a couple of oms every once in a while.

28.

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Definition: "a clumsy person"

I prefer the hoofed creature of course.

27.

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Definition: "a part of the psyche"

Out of id, ego, and superego, the id is where it's at.

26.

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Definition: "to harvest"

An unexpected definition, but I dig it.

25.

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Definition: "agriculture"

Love agriculture. Just love it.

24.

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Definition: "the side of the wicket where a batsman stands in cricket"

Another pleasant surprise.

23.

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Definition: "a father"

Love "pa," but there's also "da" and I can't put them both in the top 20. That wouldn't be fair to ma.

22.

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Definition: "qi"

Ki=Qi I just prefer the one with a Q.

21.

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Definition: "a negative reply"

Speaks for itself.

20.

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Definition: "born with the name of"

I love this one even though it's kind of useless. It's basically a way to say "formerly known as." If I ever change my name I'll be sure to use it.

19.

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Definition: "used to call attention or to express affirmation"

This one's a personal fave.

18.

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Definition: "used as a greeting"

Short and sweet, gotta love it.

17.

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Definition: "an East Indian tree"

Big fan of nature. Had to put a tree in the top 20.

16.

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Definition: "a hypothetical force of natural power"

Never heard of this hypothetical force before, but I've decided I'm a believer.

15.

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Definition: "a whirlwind off the Faeroe islands"

TBH, I'd never heard of the Faeroe Islands, but it looks like a nice place. Would visit.

14.

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Definition: "the spiritual self of a human being in Egyptian religion"

Top 20 worthy for obvious reasons.

13.

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Definition: "a white garment worn in martial arts"

Of the newest additions to the two-letter approved words, "gi" is the best. We needed another G word and the people delivered.

12.

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Definition: "a bisexual"

Love 'em.

11.

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Definition: "rough, cindery lava"

As opposed to a smooth lava, I'm assuming? Also the initials of good friend and co-worker Ahmed Akbar, who probably won't even see this because he's certainly not reading this far down the list.

10.

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Definition: "the eternal soul, in Egyptian mythology"

While I was hoping for the sound a sheep makes, I'll take eternal soul.

9.

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Definition: "a pal"

I've got a few bos. They may be the only people who actually read this far down. Probably not though.

8.

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Definition: "dad"

Love you, da.

7.

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Definition: "mother"

Love you, ma.

6.

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Definition: "an abdominal muscle"

Love you, abs. (Not mine but other people's)

5.

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Definition: "an Asian pear"

Pears aren't my favorite, but this kind apparently tastes like a cross between a rose and pineapple. I'm here for that.

4.

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Definition: "the vital force that in Chinese thought is inherent in all things"

Really beautiful concept, super-important word to the Scrabble game.

3.

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Definition: "a sweetheart"

What a neat word for sweetheart — much better than "bae."

2.

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Definition: "a three-toed sloth"

Yeah, I never thought "ai" would be towards the top either. It's a three-toed sloth though, one whose protection status is "endangered," so this ranking is the least I can do.

1.

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Definition: "a pizza"

This shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone. There's several great things about the word "za." Even if you don't like pizza, you've got to appreciate a jazzy abbreviation like "za." I wish I could buy you a slice of za right now for reading this post at all. You deserve it.

So who's up for a game of Scrabble?

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