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

UPCHUCK is a long way clear of the field: its nearest rivals, UNEQUAL, UNIQUES and UNIQUER, stop at 16. The same list holds the -OUND family and the -UNG family, which together supply 13 of the 16 words ending in D or G.

The 47 words in numbers

• Top scorers: UPCHUCK 20, then UNEQUAL, UNIQUES and UNIQUER at 16, and UNSTUCK and UNPLUMB at 13.
• Final letters: D 10, S 10, G 6, T 5, H 4, E 3.
• Everyday words: UNUSUAL and UNEQUAL.
• Collins accepts all 47, NWL2023 accepts 34 and ENABLE accepts 32.
• Average score: 10.7 points.

Which endings come up repeatedly?

-OUND gives UNROUND, UPBOUND, UPWOUND, UNBOUND, UNSOUND, UNWOUND and UNFOUND, seven words that account for most of the ten D endings. UNGLUED, UNFEUED and UNMOULD supply the rest.

-UNG gives UPFLUNG, UPSWUNG, UNYOUNG, UNWRUNG, UNSLUNG and UNSTUNG, six words that explain every G ending on the page.

S also closes ten, among them UNGLUES, UNPLUGS, UMLAUTS, UNSOULS and UNSHUTS. T closes five: UNMOUNT, UPCOURT, UNADULT, UNTRUST and UNSTUFT.

Why do UNEQUAL, UNIQUES and UNIQUER score 16?

Each one holds a Q, worth 10 points, plus six 1-point tiles. UNEQUAL and UNIQUES are accepted by every dictionary, but UNIQUER is the comparative form, and ENABLE and NWL2023 both take it.

UPCHUCK reaches 20 from the two 3-point Cs, the 4-point H, the 5-point K and the 3-point P. Seven tiles earn the 50-point Scrabble bingo bonus, so any of these can swing a game. Below them, UNSTUCK and UNPLUMB reach 13 without a Q: the first leans on a K, and the second on a P, an M and a B, each worth 3.

Are all 47 safe to play?

No. Collins has all 47 but NWL2023 has only 34 and ENABLE only 32. UNFEUED, UNFLUSH, UNMOUNT, UNPLUMB, UNPLUME and UPHAUDS are examples that only Collins accepts.