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

This pattern leaves a compact, unusual group: just one match ranks among the top 25,000 English words by frequency. FAVOURS, SAVOURY, and DEVOURS are easier to recognize than QIVIUTS or DYVOURY. The letter positions stay fixed while the first and last letters vary, so those edges are good places to test when a puzzle gives you more clues.

The V-and-U pattern at a glance

• There are 12 matches in Collins; ENABLE and NWL2023 each include 8.
• Only 1 match is among the top 25,000 English words by frequency.
• Six words end in S, including FAVOURS, DEVOURS, and SAVOURS.
• QIVIUTS leads the scoring list at 19 points; DYVOURY scores 17.
• Seven matches have a definition in the available word reference.

Which endings and word families stand out?

The S ending dominates: half of the matches finish with S. FAVOURS, DEVOURS, and SAVOURS share a recognizable pattern, while DYVOURS is a less familiar member of the same ending group. If your final tile is S, start by checking that cluster.

The remaining endings are scattered: Y appears twice, while A, C, E, and T appear once each. SAVOURY is the most familiar Y-ending example; BIVOUAC and ENVAULT show how different the other shapes can be. The initial letters are split too: D and S each start three words.

• Six matches end in S, including FAVOURS, DEVOURS, and SAVOURS.
• Y is the only other repeated ending, with SAVOURY and DYVOURY.
• D and S each start three words.

How should you use these matches in a word game?

Lock in the known letters first: the third tile is V and the fifth is U. Then work outward from your other confirmed clues. For a likely everyday answer, try FAVOURS, SAVOURY, or DEVOURS before the rarer entries; for a high score, QIVIUTS is the standout.

Use this as a clue-matching list, not a list of likely everyday words: only 1 of the 12 matches ranks among the top 25,000 English words. Dictionary coverage also varies. Collins has all 12, but ENABLE and NWL2023 each accept only 8, so check your game's word list before playing an unfamiliar option.

• Keep V in position three and U in position five as fixed clues.
• Try FAVOURS, SAVOURY, or DEVOURS before rarer entries.
• QIVIUTS scores 19 points; DYVOURY follows at 17.