5 Letter Words Starting with U
There are 117 5-letter English words that start with U, ranging alphabetically from UDDER to UVULA. Top Scrabble® scorers on this list: UNZIP (16), UMIAQ (16), UNFIX (15). Roughly 14% of these words end in E, so an E-hook on the board is worth watching for.
Word list
U
- UDDER7 pts
- UHLAN8 pts
- UKASE9 pts
- ULAMA7 pts
- ULANS5 pts
- ULCER7 pts
- ULEMA7 pts
- ULNAD6 pts
- ULNAE5 pts
- ULNAR5 pts
- ULNAS5 pts
- ULPAN7 pts
- ULTRA5 pts
- ULVAS8 pts
- UMBEL9 pts
- UMBER9 pts
- UMBOS9 pts
- UMBRA9 pts
- UMIAC9 pts
- UMIAK11 pts
- UMIAQ16 pts
- UMPED10 pts
- UNAIS5 pts
- UNAPT7 pts
- UNARM7 pts
- UNARY8 pts
- UNAUS5 pts
- UNBAN7 pts
- UNBAR7 pts
- UNBID8 pts
- UNBOX14 pts
- UNCAP9 pts
- UNCIA7 pts
- UNCLE7 pts
- UNCOS7 pts
- UNCOY10 pts
- UNCUS7 pts
- UNCUT7 pts
- UNDEE6 pts
- UNDER6 pts
- UNDID7 pts
- UNDUE6 pts
- UNFED9 pts
- UNFIT8 pts
- UNFIX15 pts
- UNGOT6 pts
- UNHAT8 pts
- UNHIP10 pts
- UNIFY11 pts
- UNION5 pts
- UNITE5 pts
- UNITS5 pts
- UNITY8 pts
- UNLAY8 pts
- UNLED6 pts
- UNLET5 pts
- UNLIT5 pts
- UNMAN7 pts
- UNMET7 pts
- UNMEW10 pts
- UNMIX14 pts
- UNPEG8 pts
- UNPEN7 pts
- UNPIN7 pts
- UNRIG6 pts
- UNRIP7 pts
- UNSAY8 pts
- UNSET5 pts
- UNSEW8 pts
- UNSEX12 pts
- UNTIE5 pts
- UNTIL5 pts
- UNWED9 pts
- UNWIT8 pts
- UNWON8 pts
- UNZIP16 pts
- UPBOW12 pts
- UPBYE12 pts
- UPDOS8 pts
- UPDRY11 pts
- UPEND8 pts
- UPLIT7 pts
- UPPED10 pts
- UPPER9 pts
- UPSET7 pts
- URAEI5 pts
- URARE5 pts
- URARI5 pts
- URASE5 pts
- URATE5 pts
- URBAN7 pts
- URBIA7 pts
- UREAL5 pts
- UREAS5 pts
- UREDO6 pts
- UREIC7 pts
- URGED7 pts
- URGER6 pts
- URGES6 pts
- URIAL5 pts
- URINE5 pts
- URSAE5 pts
- USAGE6 pts
- USERS5 pts
- USHER8 pts
- USING6 pts
- USNEA5 pts
- USQUE14 pts
- USUAL5 pts
- USURP7 pts
- USURY8 pts
- UTERI5 pts
- UTILE5 pts
- UTTER5 pts
- UVEAL8 pts
- UVEAS8 pts
- UVULA8 pts
Point values shown are Scrabble® (letters only, before board bonuses). Browse deeper via the word-lists hub.
Top 10 highest-scoring words
Scored on letters only (no board bonuses). WWF uses different tile values from Scrabble — J, Q and Z are worth 10 points in WWF; X is worth 8.
| # | Word | Scrabble | WWF |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | unzip | 16 | 19 |
| 2 | umiaq | 16 | 18 |
| 3 | unfix | 15 | 17 |
| 4 | unbox | 14 | 17 |
| 5 | unmix | 14 | 17 |
| 6 | usque | 14 | 16 |
| 7 | upbow | 12 | 15 |
| 8 | unsex | 12 | 14 |
| 9 | upbye | 12 | 14 |
| 10 | umiak | 11 | 13 |
Strategy for this list
U is worth 1 in Scrabble and starts ~1,200 words — one of the smallest vowel slices. U's Scrabble value is in Q-support (nearly every Q-word needs a U) rather than in U-openers themselves. High-value U-plays include UZI (not always legal), UMPH. In Wordle, U is a common vowel in interior positions (SOUND, ABOUT, MOUSE) but rare in position 1.
FAQs
How many 5-letter words start with U?
117 valid 5-letter English words begin with U in the ENABLE English word list.
Are these valid in Wordle and Scrabble?
Words on this page come from the ENABLE English word list. UK Scrabble (Collins Scrabble Words) accepts the overwhelming majority; a handful may not be legal in the North American NASPA Word List (NWL2023).