7-letter words with M as the 3rd letter and U as the 6th letter

The fixed pattern is __M__U_. TIMEOUT and HUMDRUM both fit, but most matches are uncommon: just one qualifies as a common word by frequency. The ending is a strong clue, while the dictionaries disagree on which less familiar entries are playable.

How many words fit this M-and-U pattern?

• Exactly 36 tournament-dictionary entries match the seven-letter pattern __M__U_.
• Collins includes all 36; NWL2023 includes 26 and ENABLE includes 24.
• Twenty-two matches end in S, the most frequent final letter by a wide margin.
• Only one match meets the common group, so expect obscure entries.

Which matching words score the most?

JAMBEUX leads the Scrabble tile scores at 25 points. COMIQUE follows at 20, while HUMMAUM reaches 16. These are strong raw scores, though a word's value on the board still depends on placement and premium squares.

The average score across the matches is 12.1. If you have a high-value J or Q, check whether JAMBEUX or COMIQUE fits your crossings before settling for a shorter play. Both are less familiar than TIMEOUT.

Use the fixed letters to narrow your search

Lock in M at position three and U at position six before trying other letters. TIMEOUT spells T-I-M-E-O-U-T; HUMDRUM spells H-U-M-D-R-U-M. Their different first and final letters show why the fixed slots alone do not determine the answer.

T opens five of the 36 matches, with C and H next at four each. R and S follow with three apiece, so no starting letter dominates the way S does at the end.

The sixth letter does much of the filtering: keeping M third but changing the sixth letter to E produces 402 matches, compared with 36 for U. For 7-letter words with M as the 3rd letter and U as the 6th letter, test the final S early when your crossings support it, but don't assume every S-ending is a plural.