Many high-scoring Scrabble words have Italian origins, especially in music and poetry. The list above — from SOLO and DUET to NONET — shows how a single concept can have multiple valid spellings, often thanks to Italian pluralisation patterns and occasional English or French adaptations.

In Italian, nouns ending in -o typically take -i in the plural (AMORETTO → AMORETTI, SOLO → SOLI), while those ending in -a often become -e (ARIA → ARIE). This contrasts with English, which generally adds -s or -es. The Italian influence on musical terminology means Scrabble players can tap into a treasure trove of variant forms, especially when English dictionaries accept both the original Italian and adapted spellings.

AMORETTI is a perfect example: from the singular AMORETTO (“little love”), we get the plural AMORETTI following Italian pluralisation rules. In Scrabble, the payoff is twofold: you gain an exotic-sounding playable word and a plural form that might fit differently on the board compared to a standard “-s” ending.

Multiple variants often come from cross-pollination between languages. For example, DUET can appear as DUETT, DUETTO, or DUETTI, reflecting Italian, German, and hybridised forms. The same applies to QUARTET/QUARTETT/QUARTETTO/QUARTETTI, where English, German, and Italian variants coexist. Dictionaries include these due to their use in music, literature, and historical texts.

For the savvy Scrabbler, learning these clusters not only boosts vocabulary but also multiplies rack flexibility — because sometimes the difference between -i, -e, and -s can mean the difference between a blocked lane and a game-winning bingo. Here is one to nine in Italian musical group terms:

1. SOLO / SOLI

2. DUET / DUETT / DUETTO / DUETTI

3. TRIO

4. QUARTET / QUARTETT / QUARTETTI / QUARTETTO / QUARTETTE

5. QUINTET / QUINTETT / QUINTETTO / QUINTETTE / QUINTETTI

6. SEXTET / SESTET / SEXTETT / SEXTETTE / SESTETT / SESTETTO / SEXTUOR

7. SEPTET / SEPTETTE / SEPTUOR

8. OCTET / OCTETT / OCTETTE

9. NONET / NONETTO / NONETTE