7-letter words with U as the 1st letter and W as the 4th letter

This is a small, tidy set. Most of it is the prefix UP- or UN- glued to a verb that starts with SW, which is why the same few openings keep returning. Only five words break that mould, and UNAWARE is the one you will meet outside a word game.

What the 17 words have in common

• Dictionary counts: Collins 17, NWL2023 14, ENABLE 13.
• UNAWARE is the only one in the 25,000 most common English words.
• UPSWAYS scores highest at 15 points, ahead of UPSWEPT, UPSWEEP, UNAWAKE and UPSWARM on 14.
• Last letters split E 4, T 4, G 2, with D and L once each.
• The average score is 11.9, so a typical play here is worth a little under 12 points.

Which words start with UPSW or UNSW?

UPSW- accounts for 7 words: UPSWARM, UPSWAYS, UPSWEEP, UPSWELL, UPSWEPT, UPSWING and UPSWUNG. UNSW- adds 5 more, namely UNSWEAR, UNSWEPT, UNSWORE, UNSWORN and UNSWEET.

Most are built on a verb such as SWEEP, SWELL, SWING, SWEAR or SWAY. The prefix UP- gives the upward sense and UN- reverses the action, as in UNSWEAR. With U and W three places apart, try S in the third slot first, because 12 of the 17 words use it.

What are the five words outside the SW group?

UNAWARE, UNAWAKE, UNOWNED, UNTWINE and UNTWIST are the odd ones out. They break the SW habit, though all five still begin with UN, and each carries its W after A, O or T.

UNAWARE and UNAWAKE share the UNAW- opening, so the fifth letter, R or K, decides between them. UNTWINE and UNTWIST also pair up, and they differ only in the last two letters, NE against ST.

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