7-letter words with U as the 3rd letter and A as the 5th letter

The ending does the sorting in this frame. -ATE closes 11 words, -AGE closes 10, and plural endings -ANS, -ARS and -ALS add another 21. Check the last three letters first, and you will rule out most of the 86 before you think about the opening or the vowels.

The U-third, A-fifth frame in brief

• Dictionary split: all 86 in Collins, 58 in NWL2023, 54 in ENABLE.
• Seven are common: COURAGE, EDUCATE, SAUSAGE, CRUSADE, TSUNAMI, EMULATE and COUGARS.
• The last letter is E in 28 words and S in 27.
• SQUEAKY tops the scores at 23, CRUZADO makes 19, and the average is 10.8.
• C opens 14 words, S opens 13, and P and T open 6 each.

Which -ATE and -AGE words fit?

-ATE gives EDUCATE, EMULATE, ADULATE, OVULATE, ULULATE and CAUDATE, with EXUDATE at 15 points. -AGE gives COURAGE, SAUSAGE, PLUMAGE and HAULAGE, with AJUTAGE also at 15.

Those two endings carry the everyday vocabulary. The plural endings are rarer, led by COUGARS, TOUCANS and PLURALS, and they add 21 words between -ANS, -ARS and -ALS.

Why are so many of these words Collins-only?

28 of the 86 are not in NWL2023. These include ABUSAGE, AJUTAGE, TRUCAGE, PLUSAGE, COUCALS, PAUCALS and KOULANS, which are valid in Collins but rarely seen elsewhere.

If you are playing NWL2023 or ENABLE, stick to the commoner set. COURAGE, SAUSAGE, EDUCATE, CRUSADE and PLURALS are accepted without any risk.

The Collins-only group also includes CHUMASH, which scores 17 and is not accepted by NWL2023 or ENABLE. Treat it as a dictionary gamble rather than a safe play, however good the score looks.

Where the points are in this frame