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

Exactly 25 words close with -SES (15) or -SED (10), which is just under half the frame. The fourth letter then points to a family: S for the double-S words, I for the -UIS- group and R for the -URS- group. Q-words like SQUISHY and SQUASHY add the big scores.

Snapshot of the U third, S fifth list

• Collins knows 49 of the 51, NWL2023 knows 33 and ENABLE knows 28.
• Six are common: COURSES, COUNSEL, CRUISER, BRUISES, CRUISES and BRUISED.
• S closes 18 words, D closes 10, and E and R close 5 each.
• C opens 9 words, P opens 8, B opens 6 and E opens 5.
• The average score is 10.2.

Which fourth letter groups 7-letter words with U 3rd and S 5th?

S itself leads with 15 words, the double-S group: TRUSSES, MOUSSES, PLUSSES, TRUSSED and PLUSSED. I follows with 13 (BRUISES, CRUISES, CRUISER, BRUISED, TRUISMS), and R follows with 11 (COURSES, COURSED, COURSER, BOURSES, SOURSOP).

L gives 6, all of the -ULS- shape, such as AVULSED, AVULSES and EMULSIN. N gives COUNSEL, and A gives SQUASHY and OQUASSA.

COURSED, COURSER and COURSES share the COURSE stem, which makes them an easy trio to hold in mind within the R group.

What are the best scorers?

SQUISHY and SQUASHY score 22 each, thanks to a 10-point Q and a 4-point Y. They are valid in Collins, NWL2023 and ENABLE, and so is OQUASSA at 16. Remember that the Q is what lifts both words, since the average word in the frame scores only 10.2.

INUKSUK scores 15 but is accepted only in NWL2023, while JAUNSED at 15 and JAUNSES at 14 belong to Collins alone.

Handling the Collins gap