Unusual beginnings and endings

Below is a list of words in Countdown's source dictionary, Oxford Dictionaries Online, which begin and end with extremely rare combinations of letters. Some of these are more useful in standard letters games than others but may be of interest to word learners, especially for word-game variants on Apterous.

Words with unusual pairs of starting letters

• AO: AORIST(S), AORISTIC, AORTA(S), AORTIC, AOUDAD(S)
• BD: BDELLIUM
• BW: BWANA(S)
• CN: CNIDARIAN(S)
• CS: CSARDAS
• CT: CTENE(S), CTENIDIA, CTENIDIUM, CTENOID, CTENOPHORAN(S), CTENOPHORE(S)
• CW: CWM(S), CWTCH(ES)
• DB: DBX
• DZ: DZHO(S), DZO(S)
• EH: EH
• FJ: FJORD(S)
• GW: GWAN, GWEILO(S), GWINE, GWYNIAD(S)
• HM: HMM
• HR: HRYVNA(S), HRYVNIA(S)
• HW: HWYL
• II: IIMBONGI, IIWI(S)
• IJ: IJTIHAD
• IZ: IZAKAYA(S), IZARD(S), IZIMBONGI, IZINYANGA, IZZAT
• JH: JHEEL(S), JHIL(S), JHUGGI(S)
• KG: KGOTLA(S)
• LW: LWEI
• MC: MCHEDRULI(S)
• MG: MGANGA(S), MGQASHIYO(S)
• MK: MKHEDRULI(S)
• ML: MLUNGU(S)
• MM: MMKAY, MMM
• MP: MPINGO(S), MPRET(S)
• MR: MRIDANGAM
• MV: MVULA(S), MVULE(S), MVULI(S)
• MW: MWA, MWAH, MWAHAHAHA, MWCHIN(S)
• MX: MXEDRULI(S)
• MZ: MZEE(S), MZUNGU(S)
• ND: NDUJA(S)
• OJ: OJEK(S), OJIME(S)
• PF: PFEFFERNUSS(ES), PFELLA(S), PFENNIG(S), PFFT, PFFTT, PFUI
• PW: PWE(S), PWN(S), PWNAGE, PWNED, PWNING
• PZ: PZAZZ
• QE: QENA(S)
• QW: QWERTYUIOP(S), QWOP(S), QWOPPED, QWOPPING (note: QWERTY is all-capitalised in the dictionary, so it is invalid)
• SF: SFORZANDI, SFORZANDO(S), SFORZATI, SFORZATO(S), SFUMATO
• SG: SGRAFFITI, SGRAFFITO
• SR: SRIGALA(S), SRIRACHA, SRSLY
• TJ: TJILPI(S)
• TM: TMESES, TMESIS, TMRW
• UA: UAKARI(S)
• UJ: UJAAMA
• UX: UXORIAL, UXORICIDAL, UXORICIDE(S), UXORILOCAL, UXORIOUS(LY), UXORIOUSNESS(ES)
• VY: VYGIE(S), VYING
• XL: XLNT
• XO: XOANA, XOANON, XOLOITZCUINTLE(S), XOLOITZCUINTLI(S), XOLO(S)
• YC: YCLEPT
• YL: YLEM, YLID(S), YLIDE(S)
• YN: YNGLING(S)
• YP: YPERIT(S), YPERITE(S), YPRITE(S)
• YT: YTTERBIUM, YTTRIUM
• ZL: ZLOTIES, ZLOTY(S)

Words with unusual pairs of ending letters

• AA: BAA, LIWAA, MAA, MIRAA, OOAA, RUFIYAA, UJAMAA
• BD: MICRORHABD, RHABD
• BK: NABK
• DH: BANDH, CEILIDH, EDH, FLEADH
• KR: DHIKR, ZIKR
• MH: OLLAMH
• MT: DREAMT, UNDREAMT
• NF: SAUNF
• NZ: ALLFINANZ, ROOIKRANZ, YENZ, YINZ, YUNZ
• PF: DUMMKOPF
• QF: WAQF
• QH: FIQH
• RW: TMRW
• RZ: FAHLERZ, MITTELSCHMERZ, SCHMERZ
• SZ: GROSZ
• TL: ATLATL, AXOLOTL, SHTETL
• UU: MUUMUU
• UV: BRUV, ERUV, GUV, LUV
• UZ: CUZ, WUZ
• WM: CWM, SAWM, SHAWM
• WU: MAHEWU
• XP: REGEXP
• YI: BALOYI, PONGYI, YI
• ZU: KANZU, KUDZU, NEMBUTZU, PONZU, YUZU

End in J

• BASEEJ
• BASIJ
• HAJ
• HAJJ
• MUNJ
• PAKHAWAJ
• PLASAJ
• RAJ
• TAJ
• TEJ

End in Q

• CINQ
• FUNDUQ
• NASTALIQ
• QIVIUQ
• QULLIQ
• RAFIQ
• RIQ
• RIQQ
• SUQ
• TALAQ