6-letter words with A as the 1st letter and R as the 2nd letter

AR leads every other A pairing at this length, ahead of AL with 137 and AN with 114. AROUND, ARTIST and ARRIVE come to mind at once, but the group also runs to ARGUFY and ARCKED deeper in. Scores stay modest here: the average sits at 8 points.

AR words at a glance

• All 148 matches begin with the AR pair.
• Collins holds 145, NWL2023 holds 109 and ENABLE holds 100.
• ARCHLY tops the list on 14 points, the only word at that value.
• S closes 46 matches; E and A follow with 18 and 12.
• Fifteen matches double the R, as in ARREST and ARRAYS.

Why do these AR words score so little?

The best you can do here is ARCHLY on 14. ARGUFY and ARCKED follow on 13, then ARCHED, ARRACK and ARROWY reach 12. No AR word arrives at 15, which is unusual for a group this size and tells you the fixed pair rarely sits beside a premium square.

The 8-point average matches that ceiling, so the winning move is usually the ending. ARCHER, ARCHES and ARMORY each score 11, while plain plurals such as ARENAS and ARMIES sit below them on the tile values of their final letters.

Doubled R and the Collins-only tail

Fifteen matches put a second R in the third slot, giving ARREST, ARRIVE, ARROWY and ARRAYS. S is the favourite closer with 46 words, and E and A split the next tier at 18 and 12. A final S is the fastest filter when you know only the opening pair.

Collins accepts 145 of the 148, but NWL2023 takes 109 and ENABLE takes 100, and 39 matches are Collins-only. The 115 entries with definitions are the safe starting points; check your game's word list before you commit to the rest.