6-letter words with E as the 4th letter and U as the 5th letter

The ending decides the shape here. Ten matches close with the -US of aureus and coleus, eight with the -UR of auteur and poseur, six with the -UP of makeup, and four with the -UM of lyceum and museum. P opens 6 matches, A opens 5, and only museum, makeup and lineup count as common words.

How the 29 words split by ending

Every match ends in one of five ways: -US holds 10, -UR 8, -UP 6, -UM 4 and -UX 1 on adieux alone.

The -US words are mostly scientific Latin: aureus, cereus, coleus, soleus, pileus, uraeus, cuneus and aeneus. The -UR group leans French, led by auteur, poseur, diseur, fadeur and reveur.

The -UP set is the friendliest. Makeup, lineup, pileup, tuneup, takeup and faceup all read as everyday compounds.

Latin and French supply nearly every entry, which is why so many end in the scholarly -US and -UR shapes rather than a native English ending.

E-U words worth knowing

• Museum, makeup and lineup are the only common words in the 29.
• Makeup and adieux tie at the top on 14 points each.
• P opens 6 matches, more than A on 5.
• S closes 10 and R closes 8.
• Collins holds 28 of the 29, NWL2023 25 and ENABLE 23.
• Takeup, faceup and tuneup all end in the easy -UP compound.

What the E-U words score

A 9.0 average hides the range. Makeup and adieux reach 14, lyceum and faceup 13, and takeup 12, all on the P, F or X tiles.

Below that the list flattens out. Museum, pileup, pileum and fadeur sit on 10, and most -US nouns land between 8 and 10.