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

H almost never stands alone in this frame. It attaches to the letter before it to make CH, SH, GH or TH, and that digraph decides the word. The only exception is DAUPHIN, which pairs the H with a P, so your first job is to pick the digraph.

The four digraphs in numbers

• CH opens the H slot in 38 words, SH in 35, GH in 30 and TH in 13.
• Collins accepts 109 of the 117, NWL2023 accepts 86 and ENABLE accepts 75.
• 13 words are common, among them ROUGHLY, TOUCHED, LAUGHED and NAUGHTY.
• Last letters: D ends 29, S ends 27, R ends 25 and E ends 13.
• The average score is 12.9.

Which digraph groups should you test first?

CH is the largest group. TOUCHED, COUCHES, POUCHES, VOUCHER and DOUCHES all sit there, and many finish in -ED, -ES or -ER. Because 38 words share it, a C in fourth place is the single most informative letter you can confirm.

SH is next, with BRUSHED, CRUSHED, FLUSHED, BLUSHES and CRUSHER. The GH group holds COUGHED, ROUGHEN and TOUGHIE, and the 13-word TH group offers MOUTHED, SOUTHER and TRUTHER.

Why do these words score above average?

H is worth 4, and the 12.9 average shows it. HAUGHTY and FOUGHTY lead at 17, followed by VOUCHED, YOUTHLY, PAUGHTY and VAUCHED at 16. HAUGHTY, VOUCHED and PAUGHTY are in all three dictionaries.

Dictionaries disagree: Collins accepts 109 words and ENABLE accepts 75. FOUGHTY, VAUCHED and YOUTHLY are Collins words only, so check them against your game.

Which neighbour letter narrows the search fastest?