Words With UA in the Middle
100 wordsThe UA combination brings together two vowels that rarely sit side by side in English. Most UA words trace back to Latin roots, giving us everyday terms like EQUAL and AQUA alongside technical vocabulary. This pattern appears in just over 1,300 English words, offering reliable options for word game players.
4-letter words
35-letter words
86-letter words
137-letter words
138-letter words
249-letter words
1610-letter words
1411-letter words
212-letter words
613-letter words
1Pattern Guide
Insights and recommendations for these words.
The UA pairing creates some of the most valuable letter combinations in word games, thanks to its frequent partnership with Q.
Vocabulary & Language
Linguistic patterns and usage statistics
UA almost always follows Q in English, a spelling convention inherited from Latin where QU represented a single sound. Words like QUAKE, QUALITY, and QUANTUM all preserve this ancient pattern. Outside the Q-U partnership, UA appears in words borrowed from Spanish (GUAVA, IGUANA) and in native formations where two morphemes collide, as in ACTUAL or MANUAL.
Total Words
1,308
0.4% of dictionary
Avg Length
9.9 letters
3.9 syllables
Top Scrabble
HEMIDEMISEMIQUAVER
40 points
Longest Word
OVERINTELLECTUALIZED
20 letters
Parts of Speech
These words average nearly 10 letters each, reflecting UA's tendency to appear in Latinate vocabulary with multiple affixes. The pattern skews heavily toward nouns at 61%, with adjectives claiming 24%—typical of scholarly and technical terminology.
Latin dominates this pattern overwhelmingly, which makes sense given that QU was a fundamental Latin letter combination. Middle English and Medieval Latin contributions often represent the same words at different stages of their journey into English. The etymology of QUAKE offers a rare exception—it traces back through Old English to Proto-West Germanic, predating the Latin influence entirely.
Word Games
High-value words for board games
Short (2-4)
Medium (5-7)
like the cackles or squawks a hen makes especially after laying an egg
colorless glass made of almost pure silica
Long (8+)
a musical note having the time value of a sixty-fourth of a whole note
the mental representation of sexual activities
Short (2-4)
Medium (5-7)
like the cackles or squawks a hen makes especially after laying an egg
any of several trees or shrubs of the genus Fortunella bearing small orange-colored edible fruits with thick sweet-flavored skin and sour pulp
colorless glass made of almost pure silica
Long (8+)
a musical note having the time value of a sixty-fourth of a whole note
Q words score identically in both Scrabble and WWF since Q is worth 10 points in each game. SQUAWKY leads both lists at 26 points, making it a powerful play when you're stuck with that troublesome Q. For WWF players, KUMQUAT jumps to 25 points versus 22 in Scrabble due to the K being worth 5 instead of 5—wait, they're the same. The real strategic edge comes from memorizing short Q-U words like QUAY and QUAD that let you dump the Q in tight board situations.
Wordle
5-letter words for daily puzzles
Good Starters (E, A, R, S, T)
SQUAT covers Q, U, and A in one guess while testing common consonants S and T. SUAVE offers better vowel coverage if you've already ruled out Q, pairing U and A with the high-frequency E.
Length Extremes
Longest and shortest valid words
Longest
Shortest
Short UA words are scarce because the combination typically appears in Latin-derived vocabulary, which tends toward longer, multi-syllable forms. The three-letter QUA and four-letter QUAD, QUAY, and QUAG represent most of the short options available.
Hidden Gems
Rare but valid words to surprise opponents
the act of giving special importance or significance to something
someone versed in the collection and interpretation of numerical data (especially someone who uses statistics to calculate insurance premiums)
moved to action
"a man actuated by unworthy desired"
the act of propelling
ACTUARY describes someone who uses statistics to calculate insurance premiums—essentially a professional risk mathematician. Beyond its specific meaning, it's a clean seven-letter word that uses common letters and clears both A and U from your rack. Worth knowing for both vocabulary and game utility.
Popular crossword answers
Words frequently used in crossword puzzles with common clues.