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

Two features organise this frame. The SQU- and EQU- words bring Q and some of the best scores, while the double-R words, led by BLURRED and SPURRED, give two of the six common words. The leftover words use T, I, A or V in fourth place.

Key facts for U third and R fifth

• Collins holds 55 of the 56, NWL2023 holds 36 and ENABLE holds 32.
• Six are common: NEUTRAL, SQUARES, BLURRED, NEUTRON, SQUARED and SPURRED.
• S ends 23 words and D ends 14, with Y on 5 and C on 3.
• S opens 19 words, F opens 11, and B and C open 5 each.
• The average score is 12, with SQUIRMY at 21.

Which 7-letter words with U 3rd and R 5th contain a Q?

Thirteen do, which is nearly a quarter of the list. SQUARES, SQUARED, SQUIRES, SQUIRTS, SQUIRMS and SQUIRMY lead the group, and EQUERRY and AQUARIA join it from other starts.

SQUIRMY scores 21, SQUARKS 20, EQUERRY 19 and SQUIRMS 18. SQUARKS is accepted by NWL2023 and Collins but not by ENABLE.

A Q tile with a U already in the frame is worth looking for here: 13 hits in 56 is a high rate, and each hit is worth at least 16 points.

Where does the double R show up?

Sixteen words put R in fourth and fifth place: BLURRED, SPURRED, SLURRED, CHURRED, SCURRIL, SPURREY and BOURREE. The -RED ending alone gives 13 words.

F is the surprise opener, with 11 words such as FLUORIC, FLUORIN, FLUORID and FOUTRES. The three FLUOR- words are accepted by all three dictionaries, while FOUTRES is Collins-only.

T in fourth place gives 7 words, headed by NEUTRAL and NEUTRON, the two common words that sit outside both the Q group and the double-R group.

Stick with the safe ones