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Only five words hold D second and U third, and one of them does nearly all the work.
It is the single entry in general use. ADUST, ADUNC, EDUCE and EDUCT are all specialist, so a puzzle landing here almost always wants ADULT.
Both share a root with educate and both turn on the idea of drawing something out. EDUCE is the verb and EDUCT is the noun for whatever gets drawn out.
T ends three of the five, more than any other letter here. So the last box is close to decided before you start, and what work there is sits in the fourth.
Curved inwards, like a hooked beak. It is a rare adjective you would only meet in technical description.
Scorched or burnt, and in older medicine a term for a gloomy temperament. It is archaic in both senses.
Yes. It is the only common word in the group, so once the pattern is confirmed there is little reason to try anything else first.