5-letter words with U as the 2nd letter and B as the 3rd letter

The double-B tail is the strongest signal in the list. HUBBY, CUBBY, TUBBY, NUBBY, FUBBY, BUBBY, RUBBY and SUBBY all repeat the B in slots three and four, and BUBBA, DUBBO and BUBBE keep the pair without the Y. Scores average 9.6, and QUBIT reaches 16 on the Q.

The -BBY block and what sits beside it

• Fifty-two words fit the U-B shape, with U in slot two and B in slot three.
• Eight end in -BBY; BUBBA, DUBBO and BUBBE double the B without the Y.
• TUB- and RUB- open eight words each, CUB- seven and BU- six.
• QUBIT leads on 16, with HUBBY and FUBBY on 15.
• Four are Wordle answers: CUBIC, PUBIC, TUBAL and TUBER.
• Six are common words, and ten appear in Collins alone.

Why the B doubles in the fourth square

Eleven words carry a second B in slot four, and eight of those close in -BBY. That ending nearly always finishes a word, so it works as a filter: if the grid shows -BBY, only HUBBY, CUBBY, TUBBY, NUBBY, FUBBY, BUBBY, RUBBY and SUBBY fit.

The rest of the list keeps a single B: CUBIC, PUBIC, TUBAL and TUBER all do, and so do QUBIT, JUBES, JUBAS and FUBAR. T and R start eight words each, C seven and S five, which spreads the openings fairly evenly. JUBES and JUBAS, both on 14, are the only entries with a J, and QUBIT is the only one carrying a Q.

Where the points come from