6-letter words with A as the 2nd letter and U as the 5th letter

Set the pattern as _A__U_: A fills the second tile and U the fifth. The matches include familiar words such as famous, campus, backup, and walnut, alongside specialist entries such as zambuk and kanzus. Just 17 count as common English words, so the pattern gives you a focused pool rather than 157 everyday guesses.

6-letter words with A as the 2nd letter and U as the 5th letter

• The tournament-dictionary count is 157 words matching the _A__U_ pattern.
• Collins counts 156 of these words, NWL2023 just 116, so the game's list changes what counts.
• C and M tie as the most common first letters, with 18 words each.
• More matches end in S than any other letter: 47 of the 157.
• The average tile score is 11.1 points before board bonuses.

Which letter patterns stand out?

The final letter is especially lopsided: 47 words end in S, while 22 end in L and 17 in M. That makes an S ending a productive branch when your last tile is unknown. Examples include famous and campus, both recognizable options in the set.

The first letter is more balanced. C and M each start 18 entries, followed by S with 17; L, P, and W each begin 13. For a clue with a known opening tile, compare those counts before narrowing further.

The same A-second pattern with E in fifth has 1,299 matches, far more than this U pattern's 157.

Which words score highest?

ZAMBUK leads the scoring examples at 23 Scrabble points, followed by KANZUS at 19. YANQUI and HAIQUE each score 18, while BASQUE, MASQUE, MARQUE, BARQUE, and CASQUE each score 17. The high end comes from valuable letters, not from the pattern itself.

For a playable familiar option, compare those specialists with makeup, layout, or backup; the highest point total is not always the easiest word to place. Of the 157 words with A second and U fifth, 156 appear in Collins but only 116 in NWL2023. Some entries therefore will not suit every game: check your game's word list before you play an unfamiliar scorer.