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

The M sits in the fifth square, so most words on this list put it directly before an ED or ES ending. That makes the last three letters the quickest filter you have. UNKEMPT and UPTEMPO are the two that refuse to follow the pattern.

Key facts about U _ _ _ M _ _ words

• Total: 22 words, all accepted by Collins, 14 by NWL2023 and 12 by ENABLE.
• Everyday words: UNARMED and UNNAMED are the only two in the top 25,000.
• Best score: UNKEMPT at 15, then UPTEMPO, UNCOMIC, UNFAMED and UNFUMED at 13.
• Endings: D closes 9 words and S closes 6.
• Average score: 11 points.

Which of these words end in -MED, -MES or -MIC?

Nine words end in D, and every one finishes -MED: UNARMED, UNNAMED, UNAIMED, UNRIMED, UNFAMED, UNFUMED, UNLIMED, UNTAMED and UNTIMED. Six more end in S, among them UPTIMES, UNLIMES, UNTAMES, UPCOMES and UNTOMBS.

Then come the loners. UNCOMIC and URAEMIC share the -MIC tail, UNHUMAN and UNWOMAN share -MAN, and URAEMIA, ULTIMAS, UNKEMPT and UPTEMPO close the list.

How do you choose between UNKEMPT and UNTAMED?

UNKEMPT is the prize at 15 points, a K and an M doing the work, and it is accepted by Collins, NWL2023 and ENABLE alike. UNTAMED is worth fewer points but is just as safe across lists, and it is the word most players will actually recognise on a crowded board.

UNTIMED and UPTEMPO are in NWL2023 and Collins but not ENABLE, so an app built on ENABLE may reject both. Any seven-letter play uses the whole rack and collects the 50-point Scrabble bonus, which makes a safe word worth more than a risky one.

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