7-letter words with U as the 2nd letter and D as the 5th letter

A D in fifth place leaves two letters to decide, and the dictionary spends them on -ER, -LY and -ED. Four common words anchor the group, while Q and H words such as QUONDAM and HUMIDEX supply the points. It is a small list that rewards a quick scan of the ending.

The ?U??D?? set in brief

• Collins takes all 43, NWL2023 takes 31 and ENABLE takes 29.
• Four words are common: BUILDER, GUARDED, BULLDOG and BUILDUP.
• The average score is 12.2, with HUMIDEX highest at 20.
• Last letters: R for 9 words, Y for 7, S for 6 and D for 4.
• G opens 7 words, while Q and B open 5 each.

Which endings do these words use?

Six words end in -DLY, such as LUCIDLY, LURIDLY and HUMIDLY, and six end in -DER, including BUILDER, GUILDER and GUARDER. Four more end in -DED, like GUARDED and QUADDED.

That is 16 of 43 from three endings. The fourth letter adds another clue, since I sits there in 12 words and L, E, R, D and A follow in smaller numbers.

Which Q and H words stand out?

HUMIDEX scores 20 on its X and H, QUONDAM 19 on its Q and M, and QUADDED and QUODDED 19 each. QUIDDIT and QUIDDLE reach 18, and JURIDIC makes 17.

QUODDED, QUIDDIT and QUIDDLE are Collins-only. HUMIDEX is valid in NWL2023 and Collins but not in ENABLE, so it is a 20-point play only in games built on those two books.

How many words does NWL2023 reject?

Twelve of the 43, including GUARDEE, SUBEDAR, HUMIDER and LURIDER. The comparative forms HUMIDER and LURIDER are valid in Collins even though HUMIDLY and LURIDLY are accepted everywhere.

BUILDER, GUARDED, BULLDOG and BUILDUP pass every list, so they are the safe plays. Keep the Collins-only comparatives for games where the dictionary is agreed in advance.