7-letter words with U as the 3rd letter and C as the 5th letter
38 7-letter words have U as the 3rd letter and C as the 5th, with -CES and -CED endings in 18, such as SOURCES and BOUNCED.
7 of 38 are everyday words (18%). A mix of familiar words and game-only finds.
With U in 3rd place, I is the most common 5th letter (303 words). The bar under each letter shows the size of its list.
Best words to play first
- COUNCIL11
- SOURCES9
- SOURCED10
- BOUNCED12
- CRUNCHY17
- BOUNCES11
- BOUNCER11
- RAUNCHY15
- POUNCED12
- GOUACHE13
- POUNCES11
- SLUICES9
- CHURCHY20
- PAUNCHY17
- SLUICED10
- TRUNCAL9
- SOUPCON11
- STUCCOS11
- POUNCER11
- CLUTCHY17
- BLUECAP13
- JOUNCED17
- JOUNCES16
- SQUACCO20
- POUNCET11
- LAUNCED10
- FRUICTS12
- JAUNCED17
- JAUNCES16
- LAUNCES9
- OPUSCLE11
- PAUNCES11
- PLUMCOT13
- ROUNCES9
- SLUTCHY15
- SMUTCHY17
- VAUNCED13
- VAUNCES12
All valid words 38
- BLUECAP13
- BOUNCED12
- BOUNCER11
- BOUNCES11
- CHURCHY20
- CLUTCHY17
- COUNCIL11
- CRUNCHY17
- FRUICTS12
- GOUACHE13
- JAUNCED17
- JAUNCES16
- JOUNCED17
- JOUNCES16
- LAUNCED10
- LAUNCES9
- OPUSCLE11
- PAUNCES11
- PAUNCHY17
- PLUMCOT13
- POUNCED12
- POUNCER11
- POUNCES11
- POUNCET11
- RAUNCHY15
- ROUNCES9
- SLUICED10
- SLUICES9
- SLUTCHY15
- SMUTCHY17
- SOUPCON11
- SOURCED10
- SOURCES9
- SQUACCO20
- STUCCOS11
- TRUNCAL9
- VAUNCED13
- VAUNCES12
Highest-scoring words
| Word | Scrabble | Words With Friends | Dictionaries |
|---|---|---|---|
| CHURCHY | 20 | 20 | All three |
| SQUACCO | 20 | 23 | Collins only |
| CRUNCHY | 17 | 19 | All three |
| PAUNCHY | 17 | 19 | All three |
| CLUTCHY | 17 | 19 | All three |
| JOUNCED | 17 | 22 | All three |
| JAUNCED | 17 | 22 | All three |
| SMUTCHY | 17 | 18 | All three |
| JOUNCES | 16 | 21 | All three |
| JAUNCES | 16 | 21 | All three |
| RAUNCHY | 15 | 16 | All three |
| SLUTCHY | 15 | 16 | Collins only |
The pattern splits into three neat parts. The sixth letter is E in 21 words and H in 8, which gives the -CES, -CED and -CHY families. A fourth letter of N or R, as in BOUNCED, POUNCED and SOURCED, then points to the most common words.
Quick view of the U-C words
- 38 words fit: Collins accepts all 38, NWL2023 27, ENABLE 26.
- 7 are common: COUNCIL, SOURCES, SOURCED, BOUNCED, CRUNCHY, BOUNCES and BOUNCER.
- -CES ends 10 words, -CED ends 8 and -CHY ends 7.
- CHURCHY and SQUACCO score 20 each, and the average is 12.9.
- S opens 9 words and P opens 7.
Which words end in -CED, -CES or -CER?
BOUNCED, POUNCED, SOURCED and SLUICED lead the -CED words, and BOUNCES, POUNCES, SOURCES and SLUICES are their -CES partners. BOUNCER and POUNCER are the two -CER words.
JAUNCED, JOUNCED and VAUNCED round out the -CED list, and JAUNCES, JOUNCES and VAUNCES do the same for -CES. They are valid words, but only some are accepted in every major list.
BOUNCED and POUNCED differ only in the first letter, so a clue that fixes B or P settles it. JAUNCED and JOUNCED share the same -UNCED core, which makes four words with that tail.
What are the -CHY words?
CRUNCHY is the only common one. RAUNCHY, PAUNCHY, CHURCHY, CLUTCHY and SMUTCHY are valid in all three lists and score 15, 17, 20, 17 and 17.
That gives the group a higher average than the frame as a whole. H and Y are each worth 4 points, and CHURCHY holds two Hs and a Y, which is how it reaches 20.
Which odd entries stand out?
COUNCIL, GOUACHE, SOUPCON and BLUECAP do not fit any big family. SQUACCO, a small heron that scores 20, is Collins-only, so it is the riskiest of the high scorers.
Questions people ask
How many 7-letter words have U third and C fifth?
What 7-letter words end in -CHY with U third?
Which of these words scores the most?
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