6-letter words with T as the 2nd letter and U as the 4th letter

That fixed frame leaves four open slots, yet the set stays unusually tight: 16 words start with S, and only one begins with A. Familiar choices include STRUCK, STRUNG and STRUTS; ATTUNE is the lone A-starting match. Frequency is another constraint: just two entries rank among the top 25,000 English words, so many matches are less familiar.

The pattern at a glance

• All 17 matches place T second and U fourth; the other four letters vary.
• STRUCK leads the score table at 12 points, ahead of STOUSH, STOURY and STOUTH at 9.
• Sixteen entries begin with S; ATTUNE is the lone A-starting match.
• Seven words end in S, including STRUTS, STRUMS and STOUTS.
• Only two matches are common by the top-25,000 frequency cutoff; the average score is 7.4.

Why do most matches start with S?

Sixteen of the 17 words start with S, creating a strong ST opening before the fixed U in fourth place. STRUCK, STRUNG, STRUTS and STRUMS show how different endings can fit the same frame. ATTUNE breaks that opening pattern, so check the first letter separately when your clue already fixes the middle.

The endings spread out more than the starts: seven words finish in S, while E and H each appear twice. STRUTS and STOUTS are among the familiar S-ending options; STRUCK instead finishes with K. That variety makes the final position a useful filter after you have confirmed the T and U.

6-letter words with T as the 2nd letter and U as the 4th letter

For a puzzle, lock in the pattern _T_U__ before testing the less certain letters. STRUCK and STRUNG are recognizable candidates, while STRUMA and STOUSH are more specialized. The two common entries are a small slice of the set, so an unfamiliar match is not automatically a mistake.

STRUCK is the strongest scoring option at 12 points; STOUSH, STOURY and STOUTH each score 9. The average is 7.4, so STRUCK stands out rather than representing the typical result. Those are base word scores, not a promise of a particular board total.

Dictionary coverage is uneven: Collins includes all 17 matches, while ENABLE and NWL2023 each include 13. A match in the broader set may not be accepted in your game, so check its word list before relying on a rarer entry.