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

Fifteen 7-letter words have U as both the 1st letter and the 3rd letter, and nine of them open with USU, as in USUALLY.

15 wordsTop pick USUALLYHighest score UKULELE 11

2 of 15 are everyday words (13%). A mix of familiar words and game-only finds.

With U in 1st place, S is the most common 3rd letter (125 words). The bar under each letter shows the size of its list.

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Best words to play first 15 · most-used first

  • USUALLY10
  • UNUSUAL7
  • UKULELE11
  • USURPED10
  • USURPER9
  • USURERS7
  • ULULATE7
  • UNURGED9
  • USUROUS7
  • USURING8
  • ULULANT7
  • USUCAPT11
  • USURESS7
  • USURIES7
  • UVULARS10
All valid words 15

A to Z. Includes rare and Collins-only words. Linked tiles open the word's meaning, score and rhymes.

  • UKULELE11
  • ULULANT7
  • ULULATE7
  • UNURGED9
  • UNUSUAL7
  • USUALLY10
  • USUCAPT11
  • USURERS7
  • USURESS7
  • USURIES7
  • USURING8
  • USUROUS7
  • USURPED10
  • USURPER9
  • UVULARS10
Letters by positionIn 60% of these words the 2nd letter is S.
2nd letter
  1. S60%
  2. L13%
  3. N13%
4th letter
  1. R53%
  2. L27%
  3. S7%
5th letter
  1. A27%
  2. E20%
  3. I13%
6th letter
  1. E27%
  2. L13%
  3. N13%
7th letter
  1. S33%
  2. E13%
  3. T13%

Highest-scoring words

Scrabble and Words With Friends points, before board bonuses
WordScrabbleWords With FriendsDictionaries
UKULELE1115All three
USUCAPT1115Collins only
USUALLY1013All three
USURPED1013All three
UVULARS1014All three
USURPER912All three
UNURGED913All three
USURING812Collins only
UNUSUAL712All three
USURERS79All three
ULULATE711All three
USUROUS710Collins only

Double-U patterns like this one are rare enough that the entire list fits in a short paragraph. USU takes nine words, ULU takes two, and four singles cover the rest. Only USUALLY and UNUSUAL are everyday English, so the interest lies in the odd ones.

All 15 words, grouped

  • USU: USUALLY, USURIES, USUCAPT, USURESS, USURPED, USURPER, USURERS, USUROUS and USURING.
  • ULU: ULULANT and ULULATE.
  • The singles: UKULELE, UVULARS, UNURGED and UNUSUAL.
  • Scores: UKULELE and USUCAPT lead at 11, USUALLY and USURPED follow at 10.
  • The average score is 8.5 points.

Which USU words should you know?

The nine USU words split into two stems. USUALLY stands alone, while USURIES, USURESS, USURPED, USURPER, USURERS, USUROUS and USURING all build on USUR. USUCAPT is the odd one out.

USURPED and USURPER are the best known of the group, and USURERS is a plain plural. USURESS, USURING and USUROUS are less familiar and, together with USUCAPT, are accepted only by Collins.

What about UKULELE and the other U_U words?

UKULELE is the highest scorer at 11, tied with USUCAPT, because the K is worth 5. It is accepted by every dictionary, which makes it the most dependable of the top scorers.

UVULARS and UNURGED sit nearby at 10 and lower, and ULULANT and ULULATE are the pair that repeat the U-L-U sequence. NWL2023 and ENABLE each accept 11 of the 15, so four words are Collins-only.

The endings are short and regular. S closes five words, D and E close two each, and T closes two more. USURPED and USURPER differ only in the last letter, so a spare D or R on your rack decides which of the two you can play.

Quick tip

Tip

A rack with two Us is already unusual. If you are holding both, USUALLY or UKULELE can clear seven tiles at once and collect the 50-point Scrabble bingo bonus.

Questions people ask

How many seven-letter words have U first and U third?
Fifteen. Collins accepts all 15, while NWL2023 and ENABLE accept 11 each. Nine of them begin with USU, and the average score across the group is 8.5 points.
What is the highest-scoring word with U first and U third?
UKULELE and USUCAPT tie at 11 points. USUALLY, USURPED and UVULARS come next at 10, and USURPER scores 9. The K in UKULELE is worth 5 points.
Which of these words are common English?
Two: USUALLY and UNUSUAL both rank in the top 25,000 English words. Every other entry is rarer, though USURPED, USURPER and UKULELE will be recognised by most readers.

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