7-letter words with N as the 1st letter and U as the 5th letter

The fixed letters leave five slots open, but this is a short list: 19 tournament-dictionary entries qualify. NURTURE is the only common word by frequency, while the endings cluster around S and E. Dictionary coverage varies too: Collins includes 18 matches, compared with 14 in NWL2023 and 12 in ENABLE.

7-letter words with N first and U fifth: key facts

• Exactly 19 entries fit N _ _ _ U _ _ across the tournament word lists.
• NURTURE is the sole common match; the other 18 are not classed as common by frequency.
• Six matches end in S and five end in E, so these two endings account for 11 entries.
• The mean tile score is 10.4; NONJURY leads at 17 points.

Which words fit the N-and-U pattern?

NURTURE stands out as the everyday entry, but many other matches are less familiar. Scan by opening chunks: NUR- gives NURTURE and NERVURE, while NO- begins NOCTURN, NOCTUID, NOCTUAS, NOCTULE, NONSUCH, NONSUIT, NONFUEL, and NONJURY. The repeated NO- start makes the fifth letter easy to overlook, so check that U before accepting a candidate.

For comparison, seven-letter words with C first and U fifth number 112. That makes the N pattern unusually narrow among words with the same length and fifth letter.

When solving, keep the second and third slots flexible first. Then test the NO- cluster against the known letters instead of guessing a whole word from the opening alone.

Which matches score well, and what should you check?

NONJURY tops the score list at 17 points. NEBBUKS and NICKUMS follow at 15 each, while NONSUCH scores 12 and NETSUKE scores 11. A strong tile score does not guarantee an easy play: the leading words use less familiar letter combinations, so look for a confirming board placement before committing.

Collins includes 18 matches, NWL2023 has 14, and ENABLE has 12; the overall count includes words found in at least one of those lists, not necessarily all three. Some entries are less familiar than NURTURE, so check your game's word list before playing a borderline form.