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

The pattern fixes A in slot two and U at the end, leaving four positions open; across the tournament-dictionary union there are 25 matches, and only one ranks among the 25,000 most frequent English words. Familiar-looking entries such as MALIBU and LANDAU sit beside less everyday forms. By comparison, the same A-second pattern ending in S has 1,063 matches.

The pattern at a glance

• The complete set contains 25 six-letter matches, and every one ends in U.
• Seven entries begin with M, the most frequent starting letter in the reported groups.
• JABIRU and HAPUKU share the top score at 15 points apiece.
• Only one match is among the 25,000 most frequent English words.
• The same A-second pattern ending in S has 1,063 matches.

Which words fit, and where are they accepted?

Examples with recognizable spellings include MALIBU, LANDAU, BATEAU, GATEAU, and CADEAU; the shared shape does not make all five equally familiar. The frequency summary does not identify its lone common entry, so do not assume that any one of these examples is that word.

Dictionary coverage overlaps: Collins includes 23 matches, NWL2023 has 12, and ENABLE has 10. Those figures are not separate piles to add together; a word can appear in more than one dictionary while the combined set remains 25.

A match in Collins may be absent from NWL2023 or ENABLE. Check the word list used by your game before relying on an unfamiliar candidate; 22 matches have definitions, but a definition does not guarantee acceptance in every tournament list.

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

JABIRU and HAPUKU tie at 15 points, ahead of MAHEWU and MAMAKU at 14. CACHOU follows at 13, while KARAMU, GAGAKU, BABACU, MADAFU, and MAKUTU each score 12. Premium squares can change a play’s final total.

For a rack decision, weigh awkward letters and available board squares rather than chasing a word only for its printed score. JABIRU uses J, while HAPUKU uses H and two U tiles; both satisfy this exact six-letter pattern.