The letter “Q” is undoubtedly one of the most puzzling letters in the English alphabet. Not only does it have one of the highest values in Scrabble, but it almost always appears with the letter “U”.
Now why is that?
The English Qu is used as a digraph, which is a pair of letters that represents a single speech sound. It was based on the Greek letter Koppa, but has since fallen out of use with the use of letters like “C” and “K”. However, for some words that have a “U” sound afterwards, “Q” was retained.
Let’s take a look at some quant little words that begin with this perplexing letter.
Quicken
Quiescent
Quibrow
Quip
Quiescent Mind
Quadragesimal
Quotation
Quickness
Queen
Quaff
Quiet
Quick
Qualified
Quite
Quickly
Quat
Quick-Sighted
Quirky
Quarter
Quaint
Quintessence
Quick-Witted
Quiddity
Quadrivium
Quenching
Querist
Quality Words
Quote
Quotable
Quotha
Qualify
Quillet
Queepling
Quicker
Quietsome
Quaintise
Quantifiable
Queenhood
Quality
Quintessential
Quickstep
Quemeful
Quest
Quickening
Quantity
Question
Qualitative
Quaintisiness
Quester
Quieter
Quiver
Quirk
Queep
Quaff-tide
Quietness
Quixotic
Queenly
Quaaltagh
Quiz
Quandorum
QWERTY
You might notice that the last word in the list is the only one wherein “U” doesn’t come after “Q”. That shows the evolution of this letter alongside modern technology as this refers to the QWERTY keyboard!
