Is NIQABS a valid word?

NIQABS is the plural of NIQAB, a face veil worn by some Muslim women, from Arabic. It is also spelled NIQAAB, with the plural NIQAABS. Six letters with the Q in the middle, NIQABS is a solid play that gets rid of the Q and an S at the same time. When NIQAB is already on the board, adding the S on the end is a quick way to score the Q again. The S on the end can hook a word already on the board, so both words score.

Before any bonus squares: N 1 + I 1 + Q 10 + A 1 + B 3 + S 1 = 17. On a double-word square that's 34, on a triple-word 51, and every letter bonus under one of these tiles is applied first.

Later in the game, put the Q on a 3L square and NIQABS is worth 37 before any word bonus.

No other word in the list uses exactly the letters N, I, Q, A, B and S.

NIQABS is the plural of NIQAB, the face veil. One S on NIQAB scores the Q again.

• Q without U

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