Is QAWWALIS a valid word?

QAWWALIS is the plural of QAWWALI, the Sufi devotional music of Pakistan and northern India. It has eight letters, so it has to be played through a tile already on the board, and it needs both W tiles (or a blank), which makes it rare in a real game. When it does fit, the Q and two W tiles give a big letter score. The easier play is the S hook: if QAWWALI is on the board, add an S. Performances can last for hours as the singers build toward an ecstatic climax. Famous qawwali singers have filled concert halls around the world.

Before any bonus squares: Q 10 + A 1 + W 4 + W 4 + A 1 + L 1 + I 1 + S 1 = 23. On a double-word square that's 46, on a triple-word 69, and every letter bonus under one of these tiles is applied first.

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

QAWWALIS is the plural of QAWWALI, the Sufi devotional music. Eight letters with both W tiles.

• Q without U

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