Yes. QUA is a valid word.
QUA is valid in the North American word list used for the Scrabble board game and other crossword tile games.
QUA 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.
About QUA
QUA is a Latin word meaning in the capacity of or as, used in phrases like art qua art. It is the only three-letter word with a U right after the Q, and with only an A beside the U, it is a quick way to play the Q and U together. Look for spots where its A can join a word already on the board.
Settle the next one at the table: score your game free in Tileside →
QUA scores 12 points
Before any bonus squares: Q 10 + U 1 + A 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: QUA as the first play
Later in the game, put the Q on a 3L square and QUA is worth 32 before any word bonus.
Hooks: one tile makes a new word
In front of QUA (1):
- AQUAwater (a transparent, tasteless, odorless liquid)
After QUA (4):
Place that one tile so it also forms a word in the other direction and both words score.
Longer words from QUA
Words that start with QUA:
- QUACKan untrained person who pretends to be a physician and who dispenses medical advice
- QUADSform of QUAD: one of four children born at the same time from the same pregnancy
- QUAFFa hearty draft
- QUAGSform of QUAG: a soft wet area of low-lying land that sinks underfoot
- QUAILdraw back, as with fear or pain
- QUAIS
- QUAKEshaking and vibration at the surface of the earth resulting from underground movement along a fault plane or from volcanic activity
- QUAKY
Same letters, other words
No other word in the list uses exactly the letters Q, U and A.
Add one tile: words from these letters plus one more
QUA + A
- AQUAwater (a transparent, tasteless, odorless liquid)
QUA + D
- QUADone of four children born at the same time from the same pregnancy
QUA + G
- QUAGa soft wet area of low-lying land that sinks underfoot
QUA + I
- QUAIsame as QUAY: a wharf
QUA + Y
- QUAYwharf usually built parallel to the shoreline
Memory tip
QUA means “in the role of”, as in “the artist qua artist”. The simplest Q word with a U.
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.