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

A short frame with a clear trick. Most of _ U _ _ M _ _ is made of nine pairs where a four-letter root takes -MAN or -MEN, such as DUSTMAN and DUSTMEN. Find the root and you have both the singular and the plural.

Quick facts for the U-M frame

• N closes 25 words and S closes 7, with Y on 2.
• B opens 7 words, A and S open 5 each, and J opens 4.
• BUXOMLY scores 21, JUNKMAN and JUNKMEN 20, JURYMAN and JURYMEN 19.
• Only PULLMAN is a common word.

What are the -MAN and -MEN pairs?

Nine roots give both forms: JUNK, JURY, TURF, SURF, BUSH, DUST, RUCK, GUDE and AUTO. You can play JURYMAN or JURYMEN, DUSTMAN or DUSTMEN, and so on down the list.

PULLMAN is the only -MAN word without a plural partner in this frame. PUTAMEN, DURAMEN and SUDAMEN are the three -MEN words without a singular. That makes 10 words in -MAN and 12 in -MEN, or 22 together.

The practical rule is to test the ending before the opener. If the last three tiles read M-A-N or M-E-N, only a short list of roots can sit in front of them, and BUSH, DUST, JUNK and JURY cover the commonest ones.

What else is in the list?

AUTUMNS and AUTUMNY use a silent N, and AUTOMAT starts the same AUT- group. AUT- opens 5 words in total, more than any other three-letter start.

BUXOMLY and BUXOMER are the high-scoring pair. BUXOMLY makes 21 and BUXOMER 18, helped by the 8-point X. SURAMIN, GURAMIS and EUDEMON are rare, specialist entries that rarely appear outside word-list play.

Dictionary notes