7-letter words with T as the 1st letter and U as the 6th letter

The fixed pattern is T _ _ _ _ U _, with U just before the final letter. Familiar candidates include TURNOUT, TIMEOUT, TANTRUM, and TAKEOUT, yet only four entries are common by wordfreq. Collins includes all 54 matches, while ENABLE and NWL2023 each include 35.

At a glance: T _ _ _ _ U _

• Exactly 54 matches fit the pattern.
• TURNOUT, TIMEOUT, TANTRUM, and TAKEOUT are recognizable examples.
• Only 4 entries meet the common-word cutoff.
• Collins accepts 54; ENABLE and NWL2023 each accept 35.
• TYphous tops the score list at 15, ahead of TOUCHUP and TANKFUL at 14.

Which final letters appear most often?

Ending in S is the leading finish, with 20 words; M has 13 and L has 11. The other endings are T, R, E, G, and N: T appears four times, R twice, and each remaining letter once.

With T first and U sixth fixed, trying an S ending first gives you the largest ending group. Changing only the sixth letter from U to E produces 566 T-first words instead of 54, so the U constraint sharply narrows the search.

Use the ending counts as a shortlist, not a promise: an S gives you 20 candidates, but the earlier slots still need to fit. For quick recognition, start with TURNOUT or TIMEOUT, then test the remaining open positions against your clue.

Scores and dictionary limits

For 7-letter words with T as the 1st letter and U as the 6th letter, the top raw Scrabble score is 15: TYPHOUS. TOUCHUP and TANKFUL score 14, while THORIUM and TACTFUL score 12.

Only 4 entries meet the common-word cutoff of the top 25,000 English words by frequency, so most answers are specialist vocabulary. TURNOUT and TANTRUM are more familiar retrieval anchors, but familiarity does not guarantee tournament acceptance. Collins includes all 54; ENABLE and NWL2023 include 35 each.

Check your game's dictionary before relying on an unfamiliar candidate, especially one chosen for its score.

The score trade-off is real: TYPHOUS leads the list, but its unfamiliarity is a rack risk. THORIUM gives up points for a more recognizable option, so choose a word your game accepts rather than chasing the highest number.