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

UNFROZE is the standout here, scoring 19 because it carries a 10-point Z. Around it sit four everyday words, UNKNOWN, UNIFORM, UNICORN and UPFRONT, and a long tail of UN- and UP- constructions. Most end in S or E, which narrows the search quickly.

What the 88 words have in common

• Dictionaries: Collins 85, NWL2023 54, ENABLE 48.
• Top scores: UNFROZE 19, then UNQUOTE, UNFROCK, UNCHOKE and UNSHOWY at 16.
• Endings: S closes 36, E closes 19, N closes 10 and D, T and K trail.
• Openings: 53 start with UN and 19 with UP.
• Average score: 11 points.

Which words end in E, and which in S?

Nineteen end in E, and most of them share a rhythm: UNBROKE, UNCHOKE, UNCLOSE, UNFROZE, UNGLOVE, UNLOOSE, UNQUOTE, UNSPOKE and UNSWORE. Each is a UN- word built on a short verb, and several also come in a UP- version such as UPBROKE and UPSPOKE.

S is bigger, with 36 words, or 41 percent of the list. Typical plurals include UNHOODS, UNROOTS, UPFLOWS, UPROOTS and UNSTOPS, and each one swaps in a different stem ahead of that final S. Spot the stem and the S takes care of itself.

Which words are safe to play?

Collins accepts 85 of the 88. The three it does not list are UNGROUP, UNICOMS and UPALONG, which only NWL2023 accepts, so check your game's word list before using them.

The four common words are the safest of all: UNKNOWN, UNIFORM, UNICORN and UPFRONT. UNIFORM and UNICORN differ from most of the list in having the O sit between consonants, F and R in one case and C and R in the other, rather than inside a UN- plus verb build.

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