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

S in fifth place usually sits in a pair with another consonant or in the middle of a plural. The -STS group is the clearest pattern: UPCASTS, UTMOSTS, UNNESTS, UPRESTS, UPRISTS and UNRESTS. Add the -SKS pair and the -SPS word, and the rest of the list is mostly one-offs.

The 29 words in numbers

• Collins covers 28, NWL2023 covers 23 and ENABLE covers 21.
• Top scorers: UNHUSKS 14, UNMASKS 13, UNFUSSY 13, UNHASTY 13 and UNHASPS 12.
• Endings: S 13, D 4, L 3 and R 3, with N and Y at 2 each.
• None of the 29 ranks among the top 25,000 English words.
• Average score: 9.5 points.

What are the -STS and -SKS words?

Six words close with -STS: UPCASTS, UTMOSTS, UNNESTS, UPRESTS, UPRISTS and UNRESTS. UNHUSKS and UNMASKS share the -SKS tail, and UNHASPS is the only -SPS word.

Four more S words end in -SES: UNCASES, UPRISES, UNEASES and UREASES. Between the -STS, -SKS, -SPS and -SES groups, 13 words are covered by only four short tails.

Which other endings come up?

D closes four: UNBASED, UNFUSED, UNCASED and UNPOSED. L closes UPRISAL, ULTISOL and UTENSIL, while R closes UNWISER, UNVISOR and UPRISER.

Y gives UNHASTY and UNFUSSY, two of the three words tied at 13 points. N gives UPRISEN and UNRISEN, and UNBOSOM is the lone M word. UNBOSOM scores 11, as does UNFUSED, so neither makes the top five.

Are all 29 safe to play?

Collins misses ULTISOL, which only NWL2023 accepts, while NWL2023 holds 23 of the 29 and ENABLE holds 21. Six words, UNLASTE, UNNESTS, UNVISOR, UPRESTS, UPRISAL and UPRISTS, are Collins-only, so check your game's word list before using one.

The safest plays are the ones every dictionary shares, such as UNHUSKS, UNMASKS, UNFUSSY and UNFUSED.