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

SU- is a borrowed prefix, so the list leans on Latin and French: SUPER, SUPRA, SUITE, SUEDE, SUMAC, SUTRA and SUAVE all arrived from somewhere else. Endings fragment here more than in most patterns, with no tail reaching even four words. Thirteen matches are Wordle answers, and eleven count as common English words.

What the SU- list holds

• 71 five-letter words put S first and U second.
• Thirteen are Wordle answers, about one in five.
• No ending cluster reaches four words.
• SUCKY tops the scores at 14; SULKY, SUBBY, SUMPH, SUJEE and SUKHS reach 12.
• Eleven matches count as common English words.

How to work the SU- pattern

1. Fix S and U at the front, then test the last letter: -RA, -KS, -ES and -ER each cover three matches.
2. Reach for SUGAR, SUITE and SUNNY first, since all three are familiar and all three are Wordle answers.
3. Save SULKY, SUBBY and SUMPH for the endgame, where their 12-point totals stretch a lead.
4. Look up an obscure pick in your game's list before you commit it to the board.

Which SU- words pay the most?

Only one match clears 12: SUCKY sits at 14 points. Behind it come SULKY, SUBBY, SUMPH, SUJEE and SUKHS on 12, then SURFY on 11. The average for the whole pattern is 7.3, so the big totals are exceptions rather than the rule.

Collins carries 68 of the 71, but ENABLE holds 51 and NWL2023 57, which leaves 14 Collins-only entries. Fifteen of the 71 never gained a definition. The familiar core is small: SUPER, SUGAR, SUITE, SUNNY, SURGE and SUSHI do most of the recognisable work.

5-letter words with S first and U second in Wordle