7-letter words with U as the 1st letter and C as the 4th letter

A pattern this small can be learned whole. The words fall into four neat groups by the letter before the C: S, I, A and U. Only UPSCALE and UNICORN count as common English, and only five words are accepted in every major dictionary.

All 13 words by what sits before the C

• After I (5): UNICORN, UNICITY, UNICOMS, ULICONS and URICASE.
• After S (4): UPSCALE, UNSCREW, UNSCARY and UNSCALE.
• After A (3): UNACTED, URACHUS and URACILS.
• After U (1): USUCAPT.

Which of the 13 words scores the most?

Four words tie at 12 points: UNSCREW, UNICITY, UNSCARY and URACHUS. UNSCREW is the only one of them that every dictionary accepts, which makes it the practical top play.

UPSCALE, USUCAPT and UNICOMS follow at 11 each, then UNACTED at 10 and UNICORN and URACILS at 9. The average is 10.5, so the whole pattern sits in a tight band and the choice between words rarely changes a score by more than a few points.

Which words work in every dictionary?

Five words are safe in Collins, NWL2023 and ENABLE: UNACTED, UNICORN, UNSCREW, UPSCALE and URACILS. Collins accepts 12 of the 13, NWL2023 accepts 6 and ENABLE accepts 5.

UNICOMS is the odd one out, because only NWL2023 has it among the three lists. UNICITY, UNSCALE, URACHUS and USUCAPT are in Collins but not in the North American lists, and ULICONS, UNSCARY and URICASE are rare Collins entries.

Seven of the 13 words are missing from NWL2023, so the same rack can score in a UK club game and be challenged off in a North American one. Decide which list you are playing before you commit.

Common-word shortcut