7-letter words with U as the 1st letter and A as the 6th letter
Only 38 7-letter words have U as the 1st letter and A as the 6th letter, and 12 of them end in -AL, led by UNEQUAL and UNUSUAL.
4 of 38 are everyday words (11%). A mix of familiar words and game-only finds.
With U in 1st place, E is the most common 6th letter (254 words). The bar under each letter shows the size of its list.
- Length
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
- 12
- 13
- 14
- 15
Best words to play first
- UNUSUAL7
- UNCLEAR9
- UNEQUAL16
- UTOPIAN9
- UNCLEAN9
- UTOPIAS9
- UNHUMAN12
- URANIAN7
- ULTIMAS9
- UNSTRAP9
- UNIDEAL8
- UNMORAL9
- UNCLOAK13
- UNROYAL10
- UNSWEAR10
- UROGRAM10
- UXORIAL14
- UNSPEAK13
- UNGULAE8
- UNWOMAN12
- UPSPEAK15
- UILLEAN7
- UJAMAAS16
- UMBONAL11
- UNCINAL9
- UNDULAR8
- UNGULAR8
- UNTREAD8
- UNVITAL10
- UNVOCAL12
- UPBREAK15
- UPRISAL9
- UPSPEAR11
- URANIAS7
- UREDIAL8
- UREMIAS9
- URETHAN10
- URTICAS9
All valid words 38
- UILLEAN7
- UJAMAAS16
- ULTIMAS9
- UMBONAL11
- UNCINAL9
- UNCLEAN9
- UNCLEAR9
- UNCLOAK13
- UNDULAR8
- UNEQUAL16
- UNGULAE8
- UNGULAR8
- UNHUMAN12
- UNIDEAL8
- UNMORAL9
- UNROYAL10
- UNSPEAK13
- UNSTRAP9
- UNSWEAR10
- UNTREAD8
- UNUSUAL7
- UNVITAL10
- UNVOCAL12
- UNWOMAN12
- UPBREAK15
- UPRISAL9
- UPSPEAK15
- UPSPEAR11
- URANIAN7
- URANIAS7
- UREDIAL8
- UREMIAS9
- URETHAN10
- UROGRAM10
- URTICAS9
- UTOPIAN9
- UTOPIAS9
- UXORIAL14
Highest-scoring words
| Word | Scrabble | Words With Friends | Dictionaries |
|---|---|---|---|
| UNEQUAL | 16 | 20 | All three |
| UJAMAAS | 16 | 20 | Collins only |
| UPSPEAK | 15 | 18 | Collins only |
| UPBREAK | 15 | 18 | Collins only |
| UXORIAL | 14 | 16 | All three |
| UNCLOAK | 13 | 17 | All three |
| UNSPEAK | 13 | 16 | All three |
| UNHUMAN | 12 | 16 | All three |
| UNWOMAN | 12 | 16 | Collins only |
| UNVOCAL | 12 | 17 | All three |
| UMBONAL | 11 | 16 | All three |
| UPSPEAR | 11 | 14 | Collins only |
Because A sits next to the last letter, this pattern is really a question about two-letter endings. -AL wins with 12 words, -AN has 7, -AS has 6, -AR has 5 and -AK has 4. Pin down that last letter and the list drops to a handful.
Quick facts for U _ _ _ _ A _
- Collins accepts 37 of the 38 words, NWL2023 accepts 27 and ENABLE accepts 26.
- Four are common words: UNEQUAL, UNCLEAR, UTOPIAN and UNUSUAL.
- UNEQUAL and UJAMAAS tie for the top score at 16 points.
- The average score is 10.1.
Which two-letter endings does this pattern use?
-AL gives UNEQUAL, UNUSUAL, UNMORAL, UNROYAL, UNVOCAL, UNVITAL and UMBONAL, plus UXORIAL, UNIDEAL, UREDIAL, UNCINAL and UPRISAL. -AN adds UTOPIAN, UNCLEAN, UNHUMAN, UNWOMAN, URANIAN, URETHAN and UILLEAN.
The short groups are specific. -AK is UNCLOAK, UNSPEAK, UPBREAK and UPSPEAK, and -AR is UNCLEAR, UNDULAR, UNGULAR, UNSWEAR and UPSPEAR. The -AK words are all built on a plain stem: CLOAK, SPEAK and BREAK with UN- or UP- in front. That makes them easy to build from a rack.
The six -AS words are ULTIMAS, URANIAS, UREMIAS, UTOPIAS, UJAMAAS and URTICAS. All are plural nouns, so they only suit a rack that already holds an S. UTOPIAS is the one most players will recognise.
What is the highest-scoring word with U first and A sixth?
UNEQUAL scores 16 points because the Q is worth 10, and it is valid in all three tournament lists. UJAMAAS ties at 16 through its J, but only Collins accepts it. UPSPEAK and UPBREAK follow at 15, and UXORIAL, the X word, is next at 14.
UPBREAK and UPSPEAK are Collins words, so an NWL2023 player will see them rejected. UNSPEAK and UNCLOAK, at 13 each, are the safer alternatives.
Playing the pattern
With U at the start and A at the sixth square, an L or N on your rack opens 19 words between them. Start with UNEQUAL, UNUSUAL or UNCLEAN, which are the ones most opponents will accept.
Questions people ask
How many 7-letter words start with U and have A as the sixth letter?
Which 7-letter U words end in -AL?
Is UNCLEAR a valid word with U first and A sixth?
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