7-letter words with M as the 1st letter and Y as the 2nd letter

Every word on this list begins MY, and the Y does the scoring work. A Y is worth 4 and an M is worth 3, so the first two tiles already bank 7 points. That is why the group averages 14.3, well above a typical seven-letter list.

Seven facts about the MY- group

• 52 words match, and only 1 is common English.
• 39 carry a dictionary definition; the average score is 14.3.
• S ends 22 words, E ends 8 and A ends 6.
• MYTHIZE scores 24, MYXOMAS 21 and MYSTIFY 18.
• MYO- starts 14 words, and MYR-, MYC-, MYT- and MYE- follow with 7, 7, 5 and 5.

Which MY- families are worth learning?

The medical and biological stems account for most of the oddities. MYC- gives MYCELIA and MYCOSIS, and MYAL- gives MYALGIA and myalgic. MYE- gives myeloma and myeloid, which sound clinical because they are.

The everyday words are fewer. MYSTERY, MYSTICS and mystify share the MYST- opening, and myriads and myrtles share MYR-. Beyond those, you are in specialist vocabulary, so a solver who knows the Greek roots for muscle, fungus and marrow has the edge.

Why do these words score so high?

Y and M are worth 7 together, so even a modest word starts ahead on the rack. Add the Z in MYTHIZE and you reach 24; add the X in MYXOMAS and you reach 21.

MYRRHIC and MYTHISM both reach 17 with no rare tile at all, because each holds an H worth 4 beside the M and Y. MYCOTIC gets 16. A plain pair of letters, not a lucky draw, is what lifts the whole group.

Dictionary check