AZ Words: Azaleas, Azimuths, and Azurite
The AZ- opening puts you in unusual territory. These aren't everyday words — they're scientific, botanical, and navigational terms that entered English from Arabic, Persian, and Greek. AZIMUTH (a navigational bearing) comes from Arabic al-samt. AZALEA (the flowering shrub) comes from Greek azaleos meaning "dry," because the plant thrives in dry soil. AZURITE (a blue mineral) traces to Persian lazhward, the same root that gave us AZURE and LAPIS LAZULI. Each AZ- word carries centuries of cross-cultural history in its spelling.
For crossword solvers, AZALEA is the most common AZ- answer by far — it gets clued as "flowering shrub," "rhododendron relative," or "spring bloomer" in puzzles of all difficulty levels. AZIMUTH appears in navigation and astronomy crosswords. AZURE (technically starting with AZU-) means bright blue and shows up in color-themed clues. AZOTE is an old French word for nitrogen, occasionally seen in science-themed puzzles. In Scrabble, AZALEA scores 15 points with the Z on a premium square potentially doubling that.
Strategy note: AZ- words all contain Z (worth 10 points), making them inherently high-scoring. If you draw an A and Z together in Scrabble, AZAN (the Islamic call to prayer, 13 points), AZIDE (a chemical compound, 15 points), and AZINE (16 points) are all compact, efficient plays. For more Z-starting options, see words starting with Z and words starting with ZA. Browse words starting with E for AZURE-adjacent vocabulary, and words starting with A for the full A collection.
FAQ
What does AZIMUTH mean?
AZIMUTH is the horizontal angle measured clockwise from north to any point on the horizon. Navigators, surveyors, and astronomers use it to describe direction. It comes from Arabic "al-samt" (the direction). In Scrabble, AZIMUTH scores 21 points — one of the highest-scoring AZ- words. For more navigation terms in word games, explore words starting with B where BEARING and BUOY live.
Are AZALEA and RHODODENDRON the same thing?
Not exactly. Azaleas are a subgenus within the broader Rhododendron genus. All azaleas are rhododendrons, but not all rhododendrons are azaleas. Azaleas tend to be smaller, deciduous, and have funnel-shaped flowers. AZALEA scores 15 points in Scrabble and is one of the most clued plant words in crosswords. For more botanical terms, check words starting with F where FERN, FLORA, and FOXGLOVE appear.