Words Ending in ZA — 39 High-Value Plays Hiding in Plain Sight
PIZZA alone makes this ending famous, but there are 38 other words ending in ZA that most players never think to study. The Z tile is worth 10 points in Scrabble, and parking it at the end of a -ZA word puts those points in play while using the common A tile as an anchor. PLAZA, BONANZA, and PIAZZA are the ones most people know. But dig deeper and you'll find COLZA (a type of rapeseed), BRAZA (a Spanish unit of measurement), BAIZA (a monetary unit of Oman), and CORYZA (the medical term for a common cold). These words share a clear pattern: nearly all of them entered English from Spanish, Italian, or Arabic, languages where -ZA is a perfectly normal ending.
For Scrabble players, the standout play in this group is PIZZA — 25 base points, and it uses one of the two Z tiles plus a blank or the second Z if you're extraordinarily lucky. PLAZA scores 16. PIAZZA, with its double Z, scores 26 base points and is one of the few words where both Z tiles can appear in a single play. BONANZA at 18 points uses all common tiles around that Z. A practical tip: memorize the five-letter ZA words (BAIZA, BRAZA, COLZA, MATZA, MIRZA, NYANZA... there are twelve of them) because five-letter words fit more board positions than longer ones. Pair this page with words ending in Z for the full Z-ending picture, words ending in A for the broader vowel-ending group, and words starting with Z to round out your Z-tile strategy.
FAQ
Is PIAZZA valid in Scrabble even though it has two Z tiles?
Yes. PIAZZA is valid in both TWL and SOWPODS dictionaries. Since the Scrabble bag contains exactly two Z tiles, playing PIAZZA requires either holding both Z tiles (extremely rare) or using a blank as one of them. When it lands, it scores 26 base points — among the highest for any single word using common letters plus Z. For other double-letter plays, see words ending in A where words like ABRACADABRA use repeated tiles creatively.
What does CORYZA mean?
CORYZA is the medical term for inflammation of the mucous membranes in the nose — basically, a runny nose from a cold. It comes from Greek via Latin and scores 20 points in Scrabble. Medical and scientific vocabulary is a rich source of unusual word game plays. You'll find similar terminology scattered across words ending in C, where suffixes like -IC produce words like ALLERGIC and ENDEMIC.
Are there any two-letter words ending in ZA?
ZA itself is a valid two-letter word in Scrabble (it means pizza in informal usage) and scores 11 points — tied with QI as the highest-scoring two-letter word. While ZA technically starts with Z rather than ending in it, it's the entry point into this whole -ZA family. For the full two-letter Z strategy, see words starting with Z and words starting with ZA.