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

The fixed pattern is U _ _ _ _ S: 125 six-letter entries fit, from familiar forms such as unless, unions, uterus, and uncles to less routine options like usurps and umbels. Only 6 are classed as common by word frequency, so expect many dictionary-driven plays rather than everyday vocabulary. The total combines entries found in Collins, NWL2023, and ENABLE; dictionary counts overlap.

Quick facts about the U…S pattern

• 125 tournament-dictionary words begin with U and end with S.
• Only 6 rank among the most common English words by frequency.
• Unless, unions, and uterus are familiar examples.
• UNZIPS and UMIAQS tie for the leading score at 17.
• Collins has 121 matches, versus 77 in NWL2023 and 70 in ENABLE; these totals overlap.

How does this pattern compare with nearby clues?

Only 125 words fit U…S, while 910 fit the same six-letter pattern with S in both the first and final slots. For U-first words ending in E, there are 90; ending in D, 69. The final S narrows the U-starting pool but still leaves more entries than either of those nearby endings.

A final S does not always mean a plural: UNLESS ends in S without being one, while UNIONS, ULCERS and USHERS are ordinary plurals.

The dictionary split is uneven: Collins lists 121 matches, NWL2023 lists 77, and ENABLE lists 70. Those figures are not separate piles to add; the same word can appear in more than one list. Six common entries against 125 total also means frequency alone won't cover much of the pool.

Which U…S words score most?

The drawback is vocabulary: just 6 of these 125 words are common by frequency. Treat the pattern as a move-finder, not a study list of everyday terms. Check your game's word list once, since Collins, NWL2023, and ENABLE do not contain identical sets.

• UNZIPS: 17 points.
• UMIAQS: 17 points.
• USQUES: 15 points.
• ULZIES: 15 points.