6-letter words with O as the 1st letter and U as the 4th letter

This pattern fixes the opening O and the fourth-letter U, leaving three positions to solve. OCCURS, OCCUPY, and OCCULT are the best-known matches, while OSMUND and OPPUGN are less familiar options. Collins lists all 22 words; ENABLE and NWL2023 each include 17, so the accepted set depends on your game.

The O___U_ pattern at a glance

• Twenty-two tournament-dictionary words match O___U_.
• Collins includes all 22; ENABLE and NWL2023 each include 17.
• Only three rank among the 25,000 most frequent English words: occurs, occupy, and occult.
• Nine end in S, while five end in E.
• Occupy and objure lead the Scrabble scores at 15 points apiece.

Which endings narrow the pattern fastest?

Nine of the 22 matches end in S, and five end in E; the other eight are distributed across six other final letters. That makes the last square a strong filter once O and U are fixed. Try OCCURS or ODOURS for an S ending, and OBTUSE for E.

OCCURS, OCCUPY and OCCULT share OCCU as their opening four letters, a striking cluster in a pool of just 22. They are also the only common entries, together making up about one in seven matches. Most other candidates are less familiar, so use the pattern first and treat obscure vocabulary as a last check.

The list is not a guarantee of acceptance in every game: Collins has five more entries than either ENABLE or NWL2023. Check your game's word list if a less familiar answer is challenged.

Scrabble scores for 6-letter words with O first and U fourth

• OCCUPY and OBJURE each score 15 points before board bonuses.
• OAKUMS scores 12, while OPPUGN scores 11.
• OCCURS, OCCULT, and OPIUMS each score 10.
• On a premium square, a high-value letter in OCCUPY or OBJURE can lift the play; base score alone does not settle it.