7-letter words with U as the 2nd letter and E as the 3rd letter

UE is a tight, awkward pair, and English puts it at the front of QUE-, DUE-, GUE- and FUE- more than anywhere else. That means Q words make up two in five of the list. The average score of 13 rewards you for finding them.

The ?UE???? list in numbers

• Collins lists all 70, NWL2023 lists 52 and ENABLE lists 49.
• Four words are common: GUESSED, QUERIES, GUESSES and FUELING.
• The average score is 13, and MUEZZIN tops it at 27.
• Last letters: S for 23 words, D and R for 10 each, and G for 7.
• D opens 12 words, G opens 9 and F opens 5.

Why do so many of these words start with QUE?

Because a Q needs its U, and an E after that is a natural next step. QUE- opens 28 of the 70, exactly two in five. QUEE- alone opens 8 words and QUER- opens 5.

QUELLED, QUESTED, QUEENLY, QUEERLY and QUERIED show the range, from verbs to adverbs.

What do DUE, GUE and FUE add?

DUE- opens 12 words, such as DUELIST, DUELING and DUETTOS. GUE- opens 9, led by GUESSED, GUESSES, GUESTED and GUESSER, and FUE- opens 5, including FUELING and FUELLED.

The fourth letter is L in 16 words, which includes QUELLED, FUELING and DUELING. Seven words end in -ING, among them those two and QUEUING, so a G on your rack points straight at this group.

Which words score the most, and which fail in NWL2023?

MUEZZIN scores 27, QUETZAL and QUEZALS score 25, and QUEACHY and QUEECHY follow on 24. QUEENLY and QUEERLY make 19 and pass everywhere, but QUEACHY and QUEECHY are Collins-only.

Eighteen of the 70 fail in NWL2023, including DUETTOS, GUEREZA, PUERING and QUEMING. Common words are cheap here: GUESSED scores 9 and GUESSES 8, so the points live in the Q and Z entries.