Though some players scoff at definitions, I’ve actually found that that can help me immensely. So, herewith, some definitions for those two-letter words that aren’t always that obvious.
Aa (aas)
One of the two basic forms of lava. Aa is rough and jagged, as opposed to pahoehoe, which is smooth and ropy. Aa is formed from rapid a flow of lava, which breaks up when cools. The word comes straight from the Hawaiian, and means “stony.” It’s pronounced “ah-ah.”
Ae
One, in Scots dialect. It’s similar to the article “a” or “an.” It’s pronounced “ay,” like the letter.
Ai (ais)
The maned sloth (Bradypus torquatus), one of only three three-toed sloths in existence. It hangs out in Brazil, and is listed as threatened. It spends up to 80% of its time asleep, and never leave the trees. The name comes from the cry it makes. It’s pronounced “eye.”
Awww!!
Al (als)
An Asian tree, Morinda citrifolia, and also known as the great morinda, Indian mulberry, noni, beach mulberry, and cheese fruit. It has a strong, vomit-like odor, but is cultivated nonetheless (albeit mostly for medicines and dyes). It’s pronounced “ahl.”
In Ancient Egypt, an aspect of the soul (there were many). In particular, ba represented mobility, and was depicted as a man-headed raptor, typically shown in art hovering over a mummy. It’s pronounced “bah.” See also see ka.
Bo (bos)
A pal, or chum. Also used in addressing someone (you know, like “Dude!”). Used in the US, especially down South. Probably from “boy.” Pronounced “bow.”
Whoops, wrong Bo
Da (das)
Dad, common in Ireland. My boys called me this growing up. Though my wife is Irish-American (and her brother’s children use the same form), I think it just came from one of the kids. Pronounced “dah.”
Et
A past tense of eat, a non-standard form (i.e., frowned upon as bad grammar). Popular on both sides of the pond, it’s a common pronunciation if you go back far enough (though not spelling). Pronounced “eht.”
As we all know, SCRABBLE does not allow abbreviations
Fe (fes)
A Hebrew letter, basically the same as the Latin F. Pronounced “fay.”
Gi (gis)
Traditional white garment worn in karate, judo, jiu-jitsu, and other martial arts. It consists of a traditionally white top and pants. It’s pronounced with a hard G – i.e., “ghee” and not “jee.”
Jo
A sweetheart, in Scottish dialect. Probably short for “joy.” A famous Bobby Burns poem is “John Anderson My Jo” (1789). Pronounced “joe.” Not totally sure why this doesn’t have a plural.
Bobby (and not John)
Ka (kas)
Another aspect of the soul in ancient Egypt. What it’s for is actually a little bit confusing. I do know that it’s symbolized by something that looks a lot like the signal for a touchdown. Pronounced “kah.” Also see “ba.”
Ki (kis)
Variant of qi, which see
Li (lis)
A Chinese unit of measurement, roughly half a kilometer, or about a third of a mile. The expression “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step" was actually referring to lis (so, I guess that should be, “A journey of 333 miles …”). Pronounced “lee.”
Ne
Born with the name of. It’s like nee, but is the masculine form (though I have to wonder how often that comes up). Both come from the French past participle of naitre, which means to be born. Pronounced “nay.”
Od (ods)
A “hypothetical force of natural power,” akin to something like “life force,” “elan vital,” or even “qi” (which see). It was coined by one Baron Carl von Reichenbach, a 19th Century German scientist and philosopher. He named it after the Germanic god Odin. Pronounced “ode.”
Carl, not Odin
Oe (oes)
A whirlwind off the Faeroe Islands. Sorry, that’s about all I could find on this one.
Well, at least I could find this map
Oi
The SCRABBLE dictionary lists this as a variant of “oy.” Variant spellings like this are a common occurrence with words transliterated from another alphabet. “Oy,” of course, is an interjection, used to express exasperation or dismay, and comes from the Yiddish. By the way, “oi” is also a British expression, typically to get someone’s attention (kind of like “hey”).
Notice the Brooklyn Bridge in the background
Op (ops)
A style of abstract art, typically focusing on patterns and optical illusions, and popular during the 60s and 70s. For some reason, you can make this plural (?!?!).
Os
A bone, typically used to describe specific ones, for little ones that don’t have common names, and in technical contexts. Just as an example, the hip bone is also known as the os coxae. “Os” is straight from the Latin. BTW, it’s also a medical term for an opening. Interestingly, the plural is “ossa.” Pronounced “ahss.”
Pe (pes)
A Hebrew letter, basically the same as the Latin P. Pronounced “pay.”
Po (pos)
A chamber pot, of all things. Possible from the French pot de chambre (with “pot” pronounced “poh”). Other synonyms for chamber pot include thunder mug, jerry, Jordan, and guzunder.
Qi (qis)
The life force, in Chinese philosophy (and medicine). Also spelled “chi.” Pronounced “chee.” Also see ki and od.
Si (sis), Te (tes)
Whoa! A two-for-one? Sure enough, these two words both stand for the seventh tone of the diatonic scale, much more commonly known as “ti” (and standing in for the note B). Bet you didn’t know that the process of giving notes phonetic symbols like this is called “solmization.” Pronounced, respectively, “see” and “tee.”
Ut (uts)
And here’s another! This one is for the first tone of the diatonic scale, stands in for C, was ultimately changed to “do,” and is pronounced “uht.”
What does “ut” have to do with “do”? Good question. The original syllables were from a popular medieval chant, which began, “UT queant laxis REsonare fibris, MIra gestorum, FAmuli tuorum,SOLve polluti LAbii reatum, Sancte Ioannes.” The whole thing was devised by a Benedictine named monk Guido d'Arezzo.
Wo (wos)
Woe. It appears to be an older variant, though I can’t really find that much on it.
Xu
A Vietnamese coin, worth a 100th of a dong (so, kind of equivalent to our cent). Not used currently.
"Hai" mean "two"
Ya (yas)
An Asian pear, Pyrus pyrifolia, also known as a ya li, nashi pear, and a Chinese white pear. They're similar to a standard Bosc pear, but whiter, crisper, juicier, and not as sweet. Personally, I like 'em on salads.
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