Words Containing ZA

100 words

Words containing ZA bring together one of English's rarest letters with an open vowel sound. This combination appears in borrowings from Spanish plazas to Arabic alcazars, plus technical terms ending in -ization. You'll find everything from quick three-letter plays to marathon vocabulary stretches.

3-letter words

2

4-letter words

5

5-letter words

9

6-letter words

15

7-letter words

9

8-letter words

4

9-letter words

9

10-letter words

3

11-letter words

1

12-letter words

11

13-letter words

11

14-letter words

9

15-letter words

8

16-letter words

1

17-letter words

3

Pattern Guide

Insights and recommendations for these words.

The ZA combination offers some of the most rewarding plays in word games, from quick two-letter setups to elaborate point explosions.

Vocabulary & Language

Linguistic patterns and usage statistics

The -ization suffix dominates this pattern, transforming verbs into nouns that describe processes or states. Words like compartmentalization and hyperimmunization follow a predictable Latin-derived formula: verb root plus -ize plus -ation. Outside technical vocabulary, ZA words often trace back to Mediterranean languages, carrying sounds that felt exotic enough to keep their original spelling.

Total Words

735

0.2% of dictionary

Avg Length

11.6 letters

4.9 syllables

Top Scrabble

PIZZAZZ

45 points

Longest Word

ANTHROPOMORPHIZATION

20 letters

Parts of Speech

Nouns
89%
Verbs
1%
Adjectives
9%
Adverbs
1%

With 89% nouns and an average length of 11.6 letters, this pattern skews heavily toward formal vocabulary. The nearly 5 syllables per word reflects all those -ization endings piling up suffixes.

Italian and French lead the way here, with Spanish and Arabic close behind. The word PLAZA traces a clear path from Spanish through Latin to Ancient Greek, while ALCAZAR traveled from Arabic through Aramaic—both languages that shaped Iberian vocabulary during centuries of cultural contact. LAZARET shows Italian maritime influence, originating from leper hospitals named after Lazarus.

Word Games

High-value words for board games

Short (2-4)

ZACK
19 pts
19 pts
ZANY

a man who is a stupid incompetent fool

16 pts

Medium (5-7)

PIZZAZZ

the activeness of an energetic personality

45 pts
PIZAZZ
35 pts
PIZZAZ

the activeness of an energetic personality

35 pts

Long (8+)

ANTHROPOMORPHIZATION
41 pts
NEBUCHADNEZZAR

(Old Testament) king of Chaldea who captured and destroyed Jerusalem and exiled the Israelites to Babylonia (630?-562 BC)

40 pts
HYPERIMMUNIZATION
38 pts
COMPARTMENTALIZATION

a mild state of dissociation

37 pts

PIZZAZZ tops both Scrabble (45 points) and WWF (46 points), but the games value Z identically at 10 points each. The real strategic difference emerges with placement—WWF's board layout can amplify these already-powerful Z words differently. ZACK and ZAX give you quick plays when you're stuck with a Z and limited options. For longer games, NEBUCHADNEZZAR offers biblical firepower if you can find the space.

Wordle

5-letter words for daily puzzles

Good Starters (E, A, R, S, T)

ZAIREStarter

a republic in central Africa; achieved independence from Belgium in 1960

SENZAStarter
SIZARStarter
ZANTEStarter

Common Words (likely answers)

PIZZACommon

Italian open pie made of thin bread dough spread with a spiced mixture of e.g. tomato sauce and cheese

PLAZACommon

mercantile establishment consisting of a carefully landscaped complex of shops representing leading merchandisers; usually includes restaurants and a convenient parking area; a modern version of the traditional marketplace

MIRZACommon
LAZARCommon

a person afflicted with leprosy

ZAIRE makes an unconventional but revealing starter, testing Z position while covering three vowels. SIZAR offers better consonant coverage with S and R, common letters that eliminate more possibilities.

Length Extremes

Longest and shortest valid words

Longest

ANTHROPOMORPHIZATION20 letters
COMPARTMENTALIZATION20 letters
INSTITUTIONALIZATION20 letters
INTERNATIONALIZATION20 letters

Shortest

ZAG3 letters
ZAP3 letters
ZAX3 letters

Short ZA words like ZAX (a roofing tool) survive as specialized trade terms. The long words cluster around scientific and psychological terminology, where -ization became the standard way to nominalize processes.

Hidden Gems

Rare but valid words to surprise opponents

CADENZA

a brilliant solo passage occurring near the end of a piece of music

CZARIST

of or relating to or characteristic of a czar

EQUALIZATION

the act of making equal or uniform

IDEALIZATION

(psychiatry) a defense mechanism that splits something you are ambivalent about into two representations--one good and one bad

"the idealization of rural life was very misleading"

CADENZA deserves attention—it's a brilliant solo passage near the end of a musical piece where performers traditionally improvise or show off technical skill. Worth 19 points in Scrabble, it's far more playable than the massive -ization words and carries genuine cultural weight for music lovers.

Popular crossword answers

Words frequently used in crossword puzzles with common clues.