7-letter words with M as the 2nd letter and B as the 3rd letter

With MB locked into positions 2 and 3, only four first letters are possible. E opens 46 words, almost half, and I, A and U share the rest. Because the front is so constrained, the rest of the word is where you find your answer.

The _MB frame at a glance

• 93 words fit, and every one starts with E, I, A or U.
• E opens 46, I opens 20, A opens 16 and U opens 11.
• S ends 34 words, D ends 18 and E ends 15.
• EMBLAZE, IMBLAZE and IMBIZOS share the top score of 20.
• Only 5 are common English, though 68 have a definition.

Why only four first letters?

Because MB at the start of a word needs a vowel in front of it. E gives EMBRACE, EMBASSY, EMBARGO and embryos. I gives imbibed and imbuing, A gives AMBIENT and ambling, and U gives UMBRAGE.

No consonant fits the first slot in any listed word, so that letter is a tidy fork for your search. Try E, then I, then A, then U, in descending order of how many words each opens.

Which endings are likeliest?

S is the first guess at 34, as in EMBLEMS, EMBARKS and imbibes. D comes next at 18 for imbibed and EMBOXED, and E is third at 15 for EMBRACE. That makes three letters good for 67 of the 93 words.

A, L, M, N and R finish three words each. If a clue gives you no ending, test the EMB- stems first, because 46 of 93 start that way, and the Z in emblaze and imblaze is the only tile that takes the score past 19.

A split verdict