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

This pattern fixes two positions: P in the middle of the first half and U just before the final letter. The 20 matches range from familiar words such as hopeful and applaud to less common entries like hapukus and repique. Only four meet the common-frequency cutoff, so expect a few unfamiliar possibilities alongside recognizable choices.

At a glance: the narrow P-and-U pattern

• Twenty tournament-dictionary words have P third and U sixth.
• Hopeful, applaud, impetus, and copious are recognizable examples.
• Nine entries end in S, including copious, impious, leprous, and papyrus.
• P begins five matches; C is next with four.
• Collins lists all 20, compared with 16 in NWL2023 and 15 in ENABLE.

How many 7-letter words have P third and U sixth?

There are 20 matches across the tournament dictionaries. The coverage differs by word list: Collins includes the full set, while NWL2023 includes 16 and ENABLE includes 15. If you are playing under a specific dictionary, check that list before committing to an unfamiliar entry.

The endings cluster around S: nine words finish that way, while L and M each account for three. Examples include hopeful and pipeful for L, plus tapetum and papadum for M. That makes the final letter a quick sorting clue when several candidates fit the fixed positions.

Which matches score most, and what should you watch for?

REPIQUE leads the Scrabble scoring list at 18 points, ahead of HAPUKUS at 16. HOPEFUL and TYPHOUS each score 15, while PAPYRUS, PAPADUM, and PIPEFUL score 14. REPIQUE is the standout on face value, but its less familiar spelling makes dictionary acceptance worth checking.

The average score is 12.9, and 18 of the 20 entries have definitions. That leaves two without a definition in this reference, so a plausible-looking fit is not automatically a comfortable play. For a broader search, compare the pattern with nearby P-and-U combinations or browse all seven-letter words.