Yes. QIS is a valid word.
QIS is valid in the North American word list used for the Scrabble board game and other crossword tile games.
QIS is in the NASPA Word List 2023 (NWL2023), the North American list that Tileside uses for challenges and the one used in club and tournament play.
Meaning
Form of QI: the vital force that in Chinese thought is inherent in all things.
About QIS
QIS is the plural of QI, the vital life force in Chinese thought, also spelled CHI and KI. Its value is the hook: when QI is on the board, an S makes QIS and scores the Q again, and the S can begin a long word in the other direction. It is one of the most useful plays in the game.
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QIS scores 12 points
Before any bonus squares: Q 10 + I 1 + S 1 = 12. On a double-word square that's 24, on a triple-word 36, and every letter bonus under one of these tiles is applied first.
Example: QIS as the first play
Later in the game, put the Q on a 3L square and QIS is worth 32 before any word bonus.
Change one tile
Swap any one letter of QIS and these are still words:
- AISform of AI: a sloth that has three long claws on each forefoot and each hindfoot
- BIS
- CIS
- DIS
- GIS
- HIS
- KISform of KI: the circulating life energy that in Chinese philosophy is thought to be inherent in all things
- LISform of LI: Chinese distance measure
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- MISform of MI: a former British unit of length equivalent to 6,080 feet (1,853.184 meters)
- PISform of PI: the ratio of the circumference to the diameter of a circle
- SISform of SI: the syllable naming the seventh (subtonic) note of any musical scale in solmization
- TISform of TI: shrub with terminal tufts of elongated leaves used locally for thatching and clothing
Same letters, other words
No other word in the list uses exactly the letters Q, I and S.
Memory tip
QIS is the plural of QI, the life force. It is the easiest way to add an S to a QI already on the board.
On these lists
Check words at the table, free
Tileside keeps score, checks words like this one during a challenge, tracks the tiles left in the bag and times turns. It runs in your phone's browser with no account and works offline.
Tileside checks words against the North American list, the NASPA Word List 2023. Your group's chosen dictionary always wins.
Word list: NASPA Word List 2023, used under license. NASPA Word List 2023 Edition © NASPA 2023. The copy included in this app is licensed for personal use. You may not use it for any commercial purposes.
Works with the Scrabble board game, played at the table. Tileside is an independent product, not affiliated with or endorsed by the makers of Scrabble.