7-letter words with U as the 2nd letter and F as the 6th letter

With F second from the end, there are only four ways for the word to finish: -FY, -FS, -FF or -FE. The -IFY verbs are the stars, with QUALIFY and JUSTIFY the two everyday entries. The average score of 16.6 comes from the 4-point F, the 4-point Y and a few J and Q tiles.

The 21 words in brief

• Collins accepts all 21, NWL2023 accepts 18 and ENABLE accepts 15.
• Two words are common: QUALIFY and JUSTIFY.
• JUMPOFF is the top scorer at 24, ahead of QUALIFY on 22.
• Y ends 10 words, S ends 6, F ends 4 and E ends 1.
• R, P and M open 3, 3 and 2 words in the lead groups.

Which words end in -IFY?

Nine end in -IFY: QUALIFY, JUSTIFY, NULLIFY, MUMMIFY, RUSSIFY, DULCIFY, MUNDIFY, PULPIFY and YUPPIFY. PUTREFY adds a tenth -FY word with the older -EFY spelling, and it is accepted by Collins, NWL2023 and ENABLE.

The fifth letter is I in 11 words, which covers all nine -IFY verbs plus two more. If your tile for that slot is I, you are already on the right track.

What are the -OFF and -OFFS words?

Four end in -OFF, among them TURNOFF, DUSTOFF and JUMPOFF, and 5 end in -FFS. CUTOFFS, RUNOFFS, BUYOFFS and PUTOFFS are plural nouns, and HUSSIFS completes the six words ending in -FS.

JUMPOFF scores 24 and tops the list, thanks to the J and two 4-point Fs. TURNOFF and DUSTOFF are the plain alternatives at 13 and 14.

Which dictionaries accept which words?

PULPIFY, MUNDIFY and HUSSIFS fail in NWL2023. YUPPIFY and BUYOFFS are accepted by Collins and NWL2023 but not by ENABLE.

QUALIFY, JUSTIFY and MUMMIFY are accepted by every list. JUSTIFY, at 20, is the safest high scorer, while QUALIFY at 22 is the strongest play that every dictionary allows.