Why 4-letter words matter in Scrabble
4-letter words are the workhorses of competitive Scrabble. They open the board, set up bonus squares, and burn off duplicate consonants without wasting a high-value tile.
Every entry in this list is a valid play in the French dictionary used by Scrabble, Words With Friends, and most word-game apps. Tiles are scored using the standard French point values and sorted high-to-low so that the best plays sit at the top of the page.
How to actually use this list
Short words are not about racking up points on their own — they are about board access. Look for words that end in S, R, D, or Y so you can hook a longer word off them later. When your rack is full of vowels or duplicates, a 2- or 3-letter dump is usually worth more than holding for a bingo that may never arrive.
Scoring tips for 4-letter plays
Premium tiles — J, Q, X, and Z — are worth 8 or 10 points each. A single premium tile on a double- or triple-letter square can outscore a whole common-tile word, so don't dismiss a 4-letter word just because it looks short. The right square turns it into a 30+ point turn.
Keep an eye on your leave: the tiles you keep matter as much as the tiles you play. After a 4-letter play, the ideal leave is one or two consonants and one or two vowels, with no duplicate letters. If a slightly lower-scoring word leaves a cleaner rack, take it — your next turn will be worth more.
Frequently asked questions
- How many 4-letter words are there in French Scrabble?
- The exact count depends on the dictionary edition you use. This page lists every 4-letter word in our French dictionary, ranked by Scrabble score. The total is shown above the word grid.
- Are all 4-letter words on this page valid in tournament play?
- All entries come from the French dictionary used by competitive players in North America. Words With Friends and other casual apps accept a different (slightly larger) word list, but every word on this page is valid in both.
- What is the highest-scoring 4-letter word?
- The highest-scoring words on this page are sorted to the top of the grid. The top entries usually contain J, Q, X, or Z. The actual highest-scoring play in a game depends on the board, the premium squares your word covers, and any bonus from playing all seven tiles.
- Does this list work for Words With Friends?
- Yes. Words With Friends accepts a superset of the Scrabble TWL dictionary, so every 4-letter word listed here is also a legal Words With Friends play. The point values per tile differ slightly between the two games, but the words themselves are the same.