2-letter words ending in U

U closes fewer two-letter words than any other vowel. Six in total, against 7 for Y, 14 each for E and I, 15 for A and 17 for O. XU leads the scores at 9, and half the list is missing from the North American word list.

The six two-letter words ending in U

• Only 6 two-letter words end in U, the smallest group of vowel endings.
• XU scores 9 and YU 5; MU is next at 4.
• All 6 count as common English and all 6 carry a definition.
• NWL2023 keeps MU, NU and XU; GU, OU and YU are Collins-only.
• A closes 15 two-letter words and O 17, so U trails every other vowel.

Which of the six play in North America?

Three of the six. NWL2023 accepts MU, NU and XU, exactly the three that ENABLE keeps, while GU, OU and YU sit in Collins alone.

That makes U the least portable vowel ending at this length. Switch to a North American list and half the group disappears, including YU, the second-best scorer here.

British and international players keep all six words, which is a small but real edge in a tight endgame.

The scores behind XU and YU

XU takes the top spot at 9 points, because X is worth 8 and U adds 1. YU follows at 5 on a Y, and MU collects 4 from M and U, so the group is really one strong word and five fillers.

Below that the group flattens out: GU reaches 3, and OU and NU both score 2. The average is 4.2, so nothing here is a scoring play unless you hold the X.

A short list with a wide range