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

The 5-letter words with U as 2nd and E as 3rd total 29, from familiar GUESS and GUEST to less common QUERN.

29 wordsTop pick GUESSHighest score QUERY 17

9 of 29 are everyday words (31%). A friendly list: most players will know the top picks.

With U in 2nd place, R is the most common 3rd letter (191 words). The bar under each letter shows the size of its list.

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Best words to play first 29 · most-used first

  • GUESS6
  • QUEEN14
  • GUEST6
  • QUEST14
  • FUELS8
  • QUEUE14
  • QUEER14
  • QUERY17
  • SUEDE6
  • QUELL14
  • DUELS6
  • DUETS6
  • QUESO14
  • QUERN14
  • FUERO8
  • QUEAN14
  • DUETT6
  • QUENA14
  • SUERS5
  • QUEME16
  • HUERS8
  • PUERS7
  • QUEYN17
  • QUEYS17
  • RUERS5
  • SUENT5
  • SUETE5
  • SUETS5
  • SUETY8
All valid words 29

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

  • DUELS6
  • DUETS6
  • DUETT6
  • FUELS8
  • FUERO8
  • GUESS6
  • GUEST6
  • HUERS8
  • PUERS7
  • QUEAN14
  • QUEEN14
  • QUEER14
  • QUELL14
  • QUEME16
  • QUENA14
  • QUERN14
  • QUERY17
  • QUESO14
  • QUEST14
  • QUEUE14
  • QUEYN17
  • QUEYS17
  • RUERS5
  • SUEDE6
  • SUENT5
  • SUERS5
  • SUETE5
  • SUETS5
  • SUETY8
Letters by positionIn 45% of these words the 1st letter is Q.
1st letter
  1. Q45%
  2. S21%
  3. D10%
4th letter
  1. R24%
  2. T17%
  3. S14%
5th letter
  1. S34%
  2. T14%
  3. N14%

Highest-scoring words

Scrabble and Words With Friends points, before board bonuses
Score spreadMost of these words score 14 in Scrabble; QUERY tops the list with 17. Scores before board bonuses.
  1. 55 points: 5 words
  2. 6 points: 6 words
  3. 77 points: 1 words
  4. 8 points: 4 words
  5. 99 points: 0 words
  6. 10 points: 0 words
  7. 1111 points: 0 words
  8. 12 points: 0 words
  9. 1313 points: 0 words
  10. 14 points: 9 words
  11. 1515 points: 0 words
  12. 16 points: 1 words
  13. 1717 points: 3 words
WordScrabbleWords With FriendsDictionaries
QUERY1717All three
QUEYS1717All three
QUEYN1718Collins only
QUEME1618Collins only
QUEEN1416All three
QUEST1415All three
QUEUE1416All three
QUEER1415All three
QUELL1417All three
QUESO1415NWL only
QUERN1416All three
QUEAN1416All three

This pattern is unusually Q-heavy: 13 words begin with Q, while six begin with S. Familiar options include GUESS, GUEST, QUEEN and QUEST, but the full set is less ordinary than those examples suggest. Only nine entries are common by frequency, and S leads the endings with 10 words.

At a glance: 5-letter words with U as 2nd and E as 3rd

  • 29 tournament-dictionary words fit the fixed _UE__ pattern.
  • 13 start with Q; S is next with six words.
  • 10 end in S, while E, N and T each finish four.
  • Nine entries are common by frequency, and 23 have definitions.
  • Collins lists 27 matches, NWL2023 lists 21, and ENABLE lists 19.

Can these U-E words help in Wordle?

Eight of the 29 matches are Wordle answers, and 28 are allowed guesses. The gap matters: an allowed guess can test letters without being an answer candidate, so don't treat every allowed guess as a likely solution. GUESS, GUEST, QUEEN and QUEST show the fixed U-E frame in familiar words.

The starting-letter split is a sharper clue than a generic vowel strategy: Q accounts for 13 entries, S for six, D for three, and F and G for two each. Once U and E are confirmed in slots two and three, use a known first or final letter to narrow the choices before trying a less familiar spelling.

How do 5-letter words with U as 2nd and E as 3rd score?

QUERY, QUEYS and QUEYN tie for the top tile score at 17 points each; QUEME follows at 16. Those are word scores, not guaranteed board totals: premium squares and cross-words change what a play earns. Familiar QUEEN, QUEST, QUEUE, QUEER, QUELL and QUESO each score 14, so recognition and raw points do not always go together.

The 29-word pool is narrower than the R-E pattern, which has 149 matches; a confirmed first or final letter will narrow this set further. Dictionary coverage also changes: Collins includes 27, NWL2023 21, and ENABLE 19. Check your game's word list before committing to an uncommon option.

One practical rule: lock in known ending letters early, since S alone accounts for 10 candidates.

Questions people ask

How many common five-letter words have U and E in these positions?
Nine of the 29 matching words are common by frequency. Familiar examples include GUESS, GUEST, QUEEN and QUEST, but those well-known options are only part of the set. Other matches include less familiar forms, so use any confirmed letters at the start or end to narrow your choices.
Which U-E pattern words score the most in Scrabble?
QUERY, QUEYS and QUEYN each score 17 points before board bonuses. QUEME scores 16, while QUEEN, QUEST, QUEUE, QUEER, QUELL and QUESO each score 14. Premium squares and cross-words can raise a play's total, so the listed tile score is only the starting point.
Are all 29 words accepted in every word game?
No, dictionary coverage differs. Collins includes 27 matching words, NWL2023 includes 21, and ENABLE includes 19. The full count combines tournament-dictionary entries, so a word accepted in one game's word list may not be valid in another. Check the dictionary used for your game before playing an uncommon word.

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