7-letter words with M as the 2nd letter and U as the 5th letter

The pattern is _M__U__: M is fixed in the second slot, U in the fifth, and the other five positions can vary. Only 15 tournament-dictionary words fit. The group is unusual for its tight count and its split between Collins and the North American and ENABLE lists.

At a glance: the M-and-U pattern

• Exactly 15 seven-letter words match the M-second, U-fifth pattern.
• Collins includes 15 matches; ENABLE and NWL2023 each include 10.
• E, A, and I begin 5, 4, and 4 words; O and U begin one each.
• Six matches end in S; D and E each end four.
• None of the matches is classified as common.

Which examples stand out?

IMPOUND and AMPOULE are straightforward examples to scan for: each keeps M and U in the required slots. Their final letters differ, too. IMPOUND ends in D, while AMPOULE ends in E, matching two of the pattern’s more frequent endings.

For Scrabble scoring, AMYLUMS leads the score list at 14 points. AMOKURA, AMOMUMS, and EMPLUME each score 13. The average score across the matches is 11.7, so AMYLUMS sits above the group’s average without needing a board bonus.

How do you check a candidate against the pattern?

For 7-letter words with M as the 2nd letter and U as the 5th letter, check the slots before judging whether a word looks familiar: _M__U__ is the full shape. Then compare the candidate with the dictionary used by your game. Collins has 15 matches, while ENABLE and NWL2023 each have 10, so acceptance differs by word list.

The ending can narrow a search quickly: six candidates finish in S, while four finish in D and four in E. Try examples such as UMLAUTS for S, IMBRUED for D, or AMPOULE for E. This is a small, obscure set rather than a dependable source of everyday guesses.