Add two and one and you may ken the odd key I'll use for now. Not yet? 'Tis not too bad, but I'll aid you. Thy tip: "wee". Now can you spy the key? Yes! You win! But you see how its use can vex the ego, and I'll end. But who can say it's not fun?
All right, enough of that! This list consists of 151 very obscure, very short words, each with only three letters. My wife has always told me that size doesn't matter, and this list proves that maxim true. While you're not likely to use any of them in daily conversation, these tiny creatures might just prove useful someday - if only in a game of Scrabble(R). Note: for a complete list of acceptable two and three-letter Scrabble words, consult this page.
Word | Definition |
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aba | garment of camel or goat hair; camel or goat-hair fabric |
abb | yarn used for warp |
aby | to make amends; atone; pay a penalty |
ait | small island in lake or river |
ala | membranous outgrowth on a plant or animal |
alb | long white robe worn by priests |
alk | sap or resin from turpentine trees |
alt | high musical tone |
ama | a Japanese pearl-diver |
ana | in equal quantities |
ard | plough used to scratch top surface of soil |
awn | beard or similar bristly growth on stalk of grain |
bar | unit of pressure of one million dynes per square centimeter |
bee | hardwood on either side of bowsprit through which forestays are reeved |
bel | unit of noise intensity equal to ten decibels |
bis | twice; in two places |
bot | larva of a botfly that infests horses |
cep | brown edible mushroom |
cog | single-masted, square-sailed ship with raised stern |
col | depression or pass in a mountain range |
cwm | valley or glen |
dag | dirty tatted tuft of sheep's wool |
dah | short heavy Burmese knife |
dal | a dried legume, such as lentils, beans or peas |
dap | to dip gently into water; to fish with a surface fly |
daw | simpleton; bird of the crow family |
dit | poem; words of a song |
dol | unit for measuring intensity of pain |
dop | copper cup for holding a diamond while cutting it |
eft | again; afterwards |
eft | newt |
eke | in addition; also; likewise |
ell | old unit of length equal to 45 inches |
ere | before |
erg | unit of work measuring force of one dyne applied over one centimeter |
eth | old English letter for voiced 'th' sound |
fid | conical wooden pin used to splice strands of rope |
fie | expression of disgust or disapproval |
fub | to put off; to fob |
fug | hot; close; smoky state of atmosphere |
gad | to wander about idly or in pursuit of pleasure |
gal | unit of acceleration of one centimeter per second per second |
gar | mild oath |
gat | opening or strait between two sandbanks |
gib | wedge-shaped piece of metal that holds another in place |
gid | brain disease suffered by sheep |
gig | light two-wheeled one-horse carriage |
hoc | card game, now obsolete |
hod | V-shaped trough for carrying bricks or mortar on the shoulders |
hoy | large one-decked boat |
ife | tropical African fibrous plant |
iff | if and only if |
ist | one who holds to an 'ism' |
ivi | Tahitian chestnut tree |
jib | small triangular sail extending from the head of the foremast |
jow | to ring a bell; a stroke of a bell |
jud | mass of coal ready for final removal |
jug | sound of the nightingale |
jus | law; legal right |
keb | ewe that gives birth to stillborn lamb |
ked | wingless fly that feeds on livestock |
kef | state of dreamy or drug-induced repose |
kep | to catch an approaching object or falling liquid |
ket | carrion; matted wool |
kex | dry hollow plant stalk |
kif | drug like marijuana smoked in North Africa |
kip | skin of a young animal |
kip | unit of weight equivalent to 1000 pounds |
kir | drink of black currant syrup and white wine |
kit | a small pocket violin |
kop | bank of terracing at a football field |
lac | dark red transparent resin used to make shellac |
lar | local god of a house |
lea | arable land left fallow or used for pasture |
lev | monetary unit of Bulgaria |
ley | mystical straight line between features of landscape |
lux | unit of illumination equal to one lumen per square meter |
mel | honey |
mew | to shed, moult or change |
mho | unit of electrical conductance |
mil | unit of 1/1000 inch used for measuring thickness of wire |
mim | prim, demure |
mon | Japanese family crest |
mor | humus layer formed by slow decomposition in acidic soil |
mow | to make a grimace |
neb | bird's beak |
nef | ornamental stand in shape of ship for holding salt or cutlery |
nim | to steal; to pilfer |
obi | broad sash worn with a kimono |
ord | point of a weapon; a beginning |
orf | viral infection of sheep |
ort | scrap of food; morsel |
pam | card game in which jack of club has highest value |
pax | tablet decorated with sacred figure and kissed by participants in mass |
ped | naturally formed mass or aggregate of soil |
per | through; according to; by means or agency of |
pro | in favour of; for |
pug | ground clay mixed with water |
puy | small volcanic cone |
pyx | box or vessel in which coins or consecrated Eucharist are kept |
qat | leaves chewed or brewed in tea as a stimulant |
qua | in the capacity of |
ras | headland |
rep | plain-woven fabric with crosswise ribs |
ret | to expose to moisture; to soak; to soften by soaking |
rev | to run an engine before bringing it into use |
ria | normal drowned valley; long wide creek |
roc | enormous legendary Arabian bird |
rom | a gypsy man |
rya | colourful Scandinavian knotted-pile rug |
sal | a salt |
saw | saying or proverb |
say | delicate woollen fabric |
seg | stud or metal plate in sole of a shoe to prevent wear |
sic | thus |
suq | Middle Eastern marketplace |
taj | crown or head-dress |
taw | to prepare skins by soaking, salting, stretching and paring |
ted | to spread grass for drying |
teg | a sheep in its second year; the fleece of such a sheep |
tej | Ethiopian honey-mead |
tex | unit of measurement of fineness of fibres and yarn |
tod | old unit of weight of wool equal to 28 pounds |
tog | unit of measurement for insulation properties of fabric |
ton | unit of cooling power equal to 12,000 BTU per hour |
tot | bone or other object retrieved from garbage pile |
tow | bundle of untwisted natural fibres |
tup | ram; pile-driver; striking face of steam hammer or jackhammer |
tye | inclined trough for washing ore |
ure | use; custom |
vis | force; power |
vug | small cavity in a rock |
wen | enormously congested city |
wey | old measure for dry goods usually equal to 40 bushels |
wis | to know, to believe |
wye | a Y-branching pipe or railroad track arrangement |
wyn | old English rune having value 'w' |
yad | rod used by readers of the Torah as a pointer for following text |
yag | synthetic diamond made of yttrium aluminum garnet |
yam | posting-house along a road |
yaw | to move unsteadily side to side; to rotate about a vertical axis |
yen | craving or yearning |
yeo | stream or drain used in mining |
yew | to rise, as a layer of froth in a boiling liquid |
yex | to hiccup, belch or spit |
yok | pejorative Jewish term for a non-Jew |
yon | yonder; that over there; those over there |
zek | inmate of prison labour camp |
zel | form of Oriental cymbal |
zho | cross between a yak and a cow |
zug | waterproof leather used for boots |
I hope you have found this site to be useful. If you have any corrections, additions, or comments, please contact me. Please note that I am not able to respond to all requests. Please consult a major dictionary before e-mailing your query. All material on this page © 1996-2021 Stephen Chrisomalis. Links to this page may be made without permission.