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5-letter words with K as the 1st letter and U as the 2nd letter

5-letter words with K as the 1st letter and U as the 2nd letter: 25 tournament-listed entries, led by KUDZU at 19 Scrabble points.

25 wordsTop pick KUDOSHighest score KUDZU 19

1 of 25 are everyday words (4%). Mostly rare words: great for Scrabble, tough for daily puzzles.

With K in 1st place, A is the most common 2nd letter (80 words). The bar under each letter shows the size of its list.

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Best words to play first 25 · most-used first

  • KUDOS10
  • KURTA9
  • KUTCH14
  • KUDZU19
  • KUGEL10
  • KULAK13
  • KUKRI13
  • KULFI12
  • KURUS9
  • KUDUS10
  • KULAS9
  • KUBIE11
  • KULAN9
  • KUMIS11
  • KURRE9
  • KUTAS9
  • KUFIS12
  • KUKUS13
  • KURIS9
  • KUIAS9
  • KUMYS14
  • KUSSO9
  • KUTIS9
  • KUTUS9
  • KUZUS18
All valid words 25

A to Z. Includes rare and Collins-only words. Linked tiles open the word's meaning, score and rhymes.

  • KUBIE11
  • KUDOS10
  • KUDUS10
  • KUDZU19
  • KUFIS12
  • KUGEL10
  • KUIAS9
  • KUKRI13
  • KUKUS13
  • KULAK13
  • KULAN9
  • KULAS9
  • KULFI12
  • KUMIS11
  • KUMYS14
  • KURIS9
  • KURRE9
  • KURTA9
  • KURUS9
  • KUSSO9
  • KUTAS9
  • KUTCH14
  • KUTIS9
  • KUTUS9
  • KUZUS18
Letters by positionIn 56% of these words the 5th letter is S.
3rd letter
  1. L16%
  2. R16%
  3. T16%
4th letter
  1. I20%
  2. U20%
  3. A20%
5th letter
  1. S56%
  2. E8%
  3. I8%

Highest-scoring words

Scrabble and Words With Friends points, before board bonuses
Score spreadMost of these words score 9 in Scrabble; KUDZU tops the list with 19. Scores before board bonuses.
  1. 99 points: 11 words
  2. 10 points: 3 words
  3. 1111 points: 2 words
  4. 12 points: 2 words
  5. 1313 points: 3 words
  6. 14 points: 2 words
  7. 1515 points: 0 words
  8. 16 points: 0 words
  9. 1717 points: 0 words
  10. 18 points: 1 words
  11. 1919 points: 1 words
WordScrabbleWords With FriendsDictionaries
KUDZU1921All three
KUZUS1820Collins only
KUTCH1415Collins only
KUMYS1415All three
KULAK1315All three
KUKRI1314All three
KUKUS1315Collins only
KULFI1214Collins · NWL
KUFIS1213Collins · NWL
KUBIE1113NWL only
KUMIS1113NWL only
KUDOS1011All three

That fixed KU start produces only 25 tournament-listed words, and just one falls in the common-word group. The familiar choices are mostly borrowed or specialist terms: KUDOS, KURTA, and KULFI stand out beside less everyday entries such as KUTCH and KUMYS. The opening is a sharper filter than the letter K alone: five-letter B-U words number 119, nearly five times as many.

5-letter words with K as the 1st letter and U as the 2nd letter

  • All 25 entries have K in slot one and U in slot two; the remaining three letters vary.
  • Only one entry is classed as common, so the list is dominated by uncommon vocabulary.
  • Collins includes 23, NWL2023 includes 14, and ENABLE includes 10; dictionary counts overlap.
  • Fourteen entries end in S, led by familiar forms such as KUDOS and KURUS.
  • KUDZU leads the scoring table at 19 points, ahead of KUZUS at 18.

Which KU words score the most?

KUDZU is the clear rack scorer at 19 Scrabble points, with KUZUS close behind at 18. KUTCH and KUMYS each score 14, while KULAK and KUKRI reach 13. Those are word scores before board bonuses, so a premium square can change the order on an actual board.

KUDZU's high-value letters make it the score leader; don't confuse word rarity with rack value. KUDOS is easier to recognize, but its score sits below the top scorer, so choose by the board and your rack rather than familiarity alone.

Why are so few KU entries familiar?

Only one of the 25 entries is tagged common, while KUDOS, KURTA, and KULFI are among the more recognizable names. KUTCH, KULAK, and KUMYS broaden the list, but obscure vocabulary is its honest limitation: a dictionary match does not mean a word will feel playable in every group's lexicon.

Compare the 25 K-U choices with the 119 B-U choices: the same second letter yields nearly five times as many entries under B. For a fixed-pattern puzzle, commit to KU first, then test the last three letters; searching by meaning is less reliable when only one entry is common.

Which final letter narrows the KU pattern fastest?

Tip

Start with an S ending: 14 of the 25 words finish that way, including KUDOS, KURUS, and KUDUS. If S is ruled out, check E or I next; each ending has two entries, including KUGEL and KUKRI.

Questions people ask

How many five-letter words start with KU?
There are 25 five-letter words with K first and U second in tournament dictionaries. Only one is tagged as common, so expect many less familiar options alongside KUDOS, KURTA, and KULFI. The available count depends on which word list your game uses.
Which five-letter KU word has the highest Scrabble score?
KUDZU is the highest scorer at 19 points, with KUZUS next at 18. KUTCH and KUMYS each score 14. These are base word scores; a premium square on the board can change the points you actually earn.
Are all 25 five-letter KU words accepted in every Scrabble dictionary?
No, acceptance varies by dictionary. Collins includes 23 of these words, NWL2023 includes 14, and ENABLE includes 10; those totals overlap and do not mean each list contains the same entries. Check your game's word list before relying on an unfamiliar word.

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