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

Two fixed vowels set the frame _ E _ _ U _. Latin and scientific borrowings dominate: HELIUM, CESIUM, TEDIUM and VELLUM sit beside everyday LEAGUE, RESCUE, PEANUT and GENIUS. Only 12 of the 96 rank as common English, and just five reach 14 points in Scrabble.

What the 96 matches contain

• 96 words fit the frame, and 73 have a dictionary definition.
• 25 end in -UM and 22 in -US, so 47 close on a Latin-looking tail.
• Nine are -IUM words, among them HELIUM, CESIUM, MEDIUM and TEDIUM.
• R opens 17 words, the largest group; B and C tie at nine each.
• JERQUE leads at 22 points, and only five words reach 14.

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

The -UM and -US endings account for almost half the list. HELIUM, MEDIUM, TEDIUM, SEPTUM and VELLUM carry the first, while GENIUS, CENSUS, VERSUS, CESTUS and MEATUS carry the second.

Nine -IUM words form the scientific core: HELIUM, CESIUM, CERIUM, MEDIUM, TEDIUM, XENIUM, TELIUM, SEPIUM and AECIUM. Their scores span 8 to 15, so the suffix signals a shape rather than a value.

That same tail hides a dictionary trap. Twenty-two entries are Collins-only, including SEPIUM, PELLUM and PENFUL, so a North American board rejects them even though they look Latin and lawful.

Which matches score best in Scrabble?

JERQUE tops the group at 22 points, six clear of REFLUX and VERJUS on 16. XENIUM reaches 15 and NEBBUK 14, leaving the rest at 13 or lower.

The leader is also the least portable. JERQUE is Collins-only, and VERJUS at 16 appears only in NWL2023; REFLUX is the one top scorer that Collins, NWL2023 and ENABLE all accept.

For 6-letter words with E as the 2nd letter and U as the 5th letter, the 9.4-point average is a fairer guide than the outliers. A difficult Q lands here too: JERQUE places it directly before the U in the fifth slot.