6-letter words with A as the 2nd letter and C as the 6th letter

The pattern is _A___C: A must sit in position two, and C must close the word. FABRIC, GARLIC and TACTIC are recognizable matches, but only four entries fall within the top 25,000 English words by frequency. Expect a mix of everyday vocabulary and specialist terms, rather than a list where every answer is familiar.

At a glance: what stands out in this pattern

• All 41 matches end in C; none has a different final letter.
• Collins includes 41 words, compared with 32 in NWL2023 and 28 in ENABLE.
• Only four entries meet the common-word frequency cutoff.
• C is the most frequent first letter, with eight matches; M and T follow with six each.
• ZARNEC leads the scoring list at 17 points, ahead of three words at 14.

How to narrow 6-letter words with A second and C last

Start by fixing the pattern as _A___C, then test the remaining letters against likely word shapes. FABRIC, GARLIC and TACTIC are strong first checks because their spellings are familiar. MANIAC and TARMAC also fit, while LACTIC gives you another recognizable option with a different opening consonant.

C leads the opening-letter group with eight words, and M and T each contribute six, so a known first letter can quickly shrink the search. The pattern is especially restrictive at the end: A-second words ending in S number 1,063, while this C-ending group has 41. Don’t treat a likely-looking word as a match until both fixed positions hold.

For scoring, ZARNEC is the standout at 17 points. FANFIC, KARMIC and KALPAC each score 14, while FABRIC and HAPTIC score 13. These are tile totals before board bonuses, so a premium square changes the result.

The four common entries are a small subset, so unfamiliar terms deserve a dictionary check before play. Thirty-four of the 41 matches carry definitions, which leaves a few valid tournament words with no dictionary entry at all.