7-letter words with U as the 1st letter and T as the 3rd letter

UNT is the heavyweight prefix here, with 37 words, and UPT adds another 16. The other 10 words are split between UTT, URT, ULT and one UST. A four-way tie sits at the top of the scoreboard, so the highest score is easy to reach from several racks.

The 63 words in brief

• Prefix split: UNT 37, UPT 16, UTT 3, URT 3, ULT 3 and UST 1.
• Four words tie for first at 15: UNTAXED, UPTICKS, UPTHREW and UPTHROW.
• Next best: UNTHINK and URTEXTS at 14.
• Ending counts: S 27, D 11, E 4, with N, T and Y at 3 each.
• Collins covers 61, NWL2023 covers 44 and ENABLE covers 36.

What are the UNT and UPT words?

UNT words are mostly UN- plus a T-verb: UNTAMED, UNTIMED, UNTIRED, UNTRIED, UNTRUTH, UNTWIST and UNTYING. Fourteen of the UNT group end in S, among them UNTUCKS, UNTRIMS, UNTUNES and UNTHAWS.

UPT is more varied: UPTAKES, UPTEARS, UPTIGHT, UPTREND, UPTURNS, UPTALKS and UPTIMES. Of the three-word groups, UTT is the strongest, led by UTTERLY and UTTERED, which are the only two common English words on the page.

Which words score the most?

UNTAXED earns its 15 from the 8-point X, UPTICKS from a K and a C, and UPTHREW and UPTHROW from the H and W. UNTHINK adds a 5-point K to reach 14, and URTEXTS draws on another X.

A seven-tile play wins the 50-point Scrabble bingo bonus. Ending in S, 27 of the 63 words carry a ready-made hook, which keeps the rack flexible. UNTAXES and UNTAXED differ only in the last letter, so one X serves either.

Which T words are risky?

Collins lists 61 of the 63, but NWL2023 lists only 44 and ENABLE only 36. UNTENTS, UNTOMBS, UNTURFS, UNTRUST and UPTRAIN are Collins-only, so check your game's word list before you use one of them.