6-letter words with A as the 1st letter and L as the 4th letter

The L sits fourth, one square from the end, so the last tile matters as much as the opening two. Ten matches are common words and 61 carry a definition. Collins lists all 73 of them, while ENABLE keeps 56 and NWL2023 59.

At a glance for the A??L?? frame

• 73 six-letter words match the A??L?? frame, and 22 of them end in S.
• AFFLUX is the only match above 15 points, finishing on 19.
• AZALEA, AZOLLA, AZOLES and AIZLES all tie on 15 behind it.
• Ten of the matches are common words, including ADULTS, APPLES, ANKLES and ASYLUM.
• Collins lists all 73, while ENABLE keeps 56 and NWL2023 59.

Which letters close the A??L?? words?

S finishes 22 matches, and most are everyday plurals: ADULTS, AISLES, APPLES, ANGLES and ANKLES. The rest of that group is rarer, with AZOLES and AIZLES sharing the ending but seldom turning up outside a word list.

A closes 11 matches, and they are almost all plants or medical terms, from AZALEA and AXILLA to ABULIA and ARALIA. Nine matches end in D, such as ANGLED, AMBLED and ANKLED, and eight end in R, including ANTLER, ANGLER and ASHLAR.

Where do the points come from?

AFFLUX reaches 19 because X pays 8 and the doubled F another 8, which makes it the only match above 15. Four Z words then tie on 15: AZALEA, AZOLLA, AZOLES and AIZLES.

AN- is the busiest second-letter group with 16 matches, covering ANALOG, ANGLED, ANGLES, ANKLES, ANKLET and ANTLER. The M group adds nine, among them AMBLER, AMULET, AMYLIC and AMYLUM.

Fourteen matches sit in Collins alone, among them ACCLOY, ARALIA, AZOLLA and AMELIA. Run any of them past the dictionary your game uses before you play.