6-letter words with D as the 1st letter and U as the 2nd letter

The fixed opening DU narrows the search, but the words take different routes after those letters. DURING and DUTIES are familiar fits, and every match has six letters, so DUGOUT and DUSTER work too. Only 8 entries rank among the most common English words, making familiar examples a small part of the full set.

The DU pattern at a glance

• There are 113 six-letter matches beginning DU.
• DUTIES, DURING, and DUGOUT are recognizable examples.
• The most frequent final letter is S, appearing in 25 words.
• DUKKHA and DUKKAH each score 18 points in Scrabble.

Which endings dominate the DU words?

S leads the final-letter pattern with 25 words; D follows with 19, and R with 17. Those three endings account for more than half the matches, so a known final letter quickly trims the possibilities.

The S-ending group includes DUTIES, DUCATS, and DUKKAS. For D, try DUMPED, DUBBED, or DUSTED; DURANT and DUMBER finish with R.

Some less familiar options are valuable on a rack: DUKKHA and DUKKAH lead the scoring examples at 18 points each, while DUPLEX scores 16. The ordinary-looking opening does not predict an ordinary score.

How should you use this D-U pattern?

Start by locking D and U into the first two slots, then test the ending before searching every middle-letter combination. The 25 S-ending options make that a productive branch; D and R are the next places to check.

For a word game, separate familiar candidates such as DURING and DUTIES from specialist entries such as DUKKHA. The full set has 95 defined words, but only 8 count as common, so check your game's word list before relying on an obscure play.

This pattern is strictly six letters: 6-letter words with D as the 1st letter and U as the 2nd letter do not include shorter DU words such as DUVET or longer forms such as DUNNAGE.