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

The frame _ U _ _ _ K _ leaves one tile after the K, so it behaves like a suffix puzzle. The suffix -LIKE explains the largest cluster, and -IKS and -AKE explain most of what is left. Nearly every entry is valid in all the major lists, which is unusual for a K pattern.

The U-K frame by the numbers

• E closes 17 words and S closes 11, which together cover 28 of the 33.
• M opens 6 words, N opens 4, and B, O, S and T open 3 each.
• MUZJIKS scores 29, MUZHIKS 25 and CUPCAKE 17.
• Collins takes all 33, NWL2023 takes 30 and ENABLE takes 27.

Which words end in -LIKE?

Eleven of the 33 do: TUBLIKE, BUDLIKE, RUGLIKE, GUMLIKE, NUNLIKE, SUNLIKE, CUPLIKE, PUSLIKE, GUTLIKE, HUTLIKE and NUTLIKE. The suffix means resembling the noun in front of it, and all eleven are accepted in Collins, NWL2023 and ENABLE alike.

MUSPIKE also ends in -IKE, which makes 12 words with that tail. It is the largest family on the page, but most players only know one or two of its members, so the value is in recognising the shape.

What about the -IKS and -AKE words?

Six words end in -IKS, all plurals: NUDNIKS, KUDLIKS, TUGRIKS, SUSLIKS, MUZHIKS and MUZJIKS. The last two are the high scorers, 25 and 29, because they combine a Z with an H or a J and the 5-point K.

-AKE adds five more, including CUPCAKE, SUNBAKE, OUTBAKE and OUTTAKE. CUPCAKE is the only one in the top 25,000 English words, so it is the safe choice when you are unsure.

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