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

A single F after a U is rare at the start of a seven-letter word. The double F takes over: BUFF-, RUFF-, MUFF-, PUFF- and SUFF- supply the bulk of the list. That clustering, plus the heavy 4-point F tiles, pushes the average to 15 points, which is high.

The ?UF???? set in numbers

• Of 64 words, Collins accepts all 64, NWL2023 accepts 46 and ENABLE accepts 42.
• Four are common: BUFFALO, SUFFERS, SUFFICE and MUFFINS.
• Two F tiles make an average word worth 15 points.
• R, M and B each start 7 words, while S and P start 6 each.
• Final S closes 22 words, and final G closes 10.

Why is the double F so dominant?

A short U followed by F wants a second F before a suffix, so 55 of 64 words, about six in seven, carry FF. BUFF-, with 7 words, leads the openings, and SUFF-, RUFF-, PUFF- and MUFF- have 6 each.

The -ING ending alone gives 10 words, among them PUFFING, HUFFING, BUFFING and CUFFING. Plurals add -ERS with 6 (SUFFERS, PUFFERS, DUFFERS) and -INS with 5 (MUFFINS, PUFFINS).

What are the words with a single F?

Nine words break the double-F rule. TUFTING is one, and the list includes ones such as KUFIYAH, a Collins entry that scores 20 points.

Most of the single-F group is obscure, so the practical rule is to assume FF unless the board forces something else. TUFTING, the best-known exception, needs a T in fourth place.

Which words score the most?

ZUFFOLI and ZUFFOLO lead with 22 each, then HUFFKIN and KUFIYAH with 20. HUFFILY and HUFFISH reach 19, while PUFFERY and PUFFILY make 18.

Only the last four of those are valid in NWL2023, so the Z and K words stay on the rack in North American games. Of the 64 words, 18 fail there, including HUFFERS, CUFFINS and CUFFLED.