Words Ending in QUE: French Flair in English Word Games
Almost every English word ending in -QUE arrived via French — ANTIQUE, BAROQUE, BISQUE, UNIQUE, TECHNIQUE. That silent final E after QU is a dead giveaway of French origins. What makes these words gold for Scrabble players is the Q: normally a nightmare tile, it becomes manageable when you know these -QUE words by heart. BISQUE and BASQUE are both worth 17 base points, and BEZIQUE (a card game) scores 27 before multipliers.
One oddity: English kept the French spelling but often shifted the pronunciation. BAROQUE is buh-ROKE, not bar-OCK-way. PLAQUE rhymes with "rack," not "rocky." This inconsistency trips up spellers but rarely matters in crosswords, where the pattern is the key. Crossword constructors favor -QUE words because Q without U is rare, so seeing Q in a grid strongly hints at a QU pair — and if the word ends there, -QUE is your best bet.
For word game strategy, memorize the short ones: PIQUE (5 letters), CLIQUE and PLAQUE (6 letters), TORQUE and OPAQUE (6 letters). These come up constantly. If you're looking for more ways to handle the Q tile, check words starting with XI for board setups, or browse words starting with E and words starting with U for adjacent plays. Fans of borrowed vocabulary will also enjoy words starting with ZEN.
FAQ
What is the shortest word ending in QUE valid in Scrabble?
PIQUE and TOQUE at 5 letters are among the shortest -QUE words accepted in standard Scrabble dictionaries. Both score well thanks to the Q tile's 10-point value. For other short high-value plays, look at words starting with XI.
Are -QUE words common in crossword puzzles?
Very common. UNIQUE, ANTIQUE, OPAQUE, and TECHNIQUE appear regularly because they have useful crossing letters. Constructors also like PLAQUE and CLIQUE for medium-length fill. Pair this knowledge with words starting with J to handle other tricky tiles in the same grid.