4-letter words with R as the 2nd letter

R in the second slot gives this group a recognizable backbone, yet the 288 matches are not all common words. The frequency measure marks 90 as common, and 228 entries have definitions. Treat familiar examples as a starting point, then use a fixed first or last letter to narrow the less familiar tournament vocabulary.

The pattern at a glance

• The combined tournament-dictionary pool contains 288 four-letter words with R in slot two.
• 90 entries meet the common-word frequency threshold, and 228 have definitions.
• FROM, FREE, TRUE and TREE are familiar examples of the pattern.
• FRIZ leads the high-score group at 16 points; PREZ follows at 15.
• Collins includes 276 matches, compared with 215 in NWL2023 and 193 in ENABLE.

Which first and last letters appear most?

A is the largest starting group at 37 words, followed by B at 34 and T at 32; G and P add 27 and 26. That spread leaves plenty of first-letter branches even after R fixes the second slot.

The final letters are more lopsided: 49 matches end in S, while E has 24, and G and Y have 20 each. ARMS and ARTS show the S ending; TREE ends in E, while GROW ends in W.

Use the tail as a second filter when crossing letters are fixed. An S ending gives you the biggest group, while a known E, G or Y points to smaller, more focused sets.

How should you use 4-letter words with R as the 2nd letter?

FRIZ leads the four-letter group at 16 points, with PREZ at 15 and ORYX and GRIZ at 14. CRUX, ORZO, TREZ, BRUX and PREX each score 13, putting Z and X among the strongest scoring choices in this pattern.

When a premium tile is available, check for a short R pattern before spending a turn on a longer setup. FRIZ fits the slot and tops the score list, but a high score does not guarantee acceptance in every game.

Dictionary coverage differs: Collins has 276 matches, NWL2023 has 215, and ENABLE has 193. Check your game's word list before playing an unfamiliar scorer, especially when your game uses a North American list rather than Collins.