6-letter words with A as the 5th letter and M as the 6th letter

The frame _ _ _ A M closes on the -AM block, and the list splits into tidy endings: 8 matches end -EAM, such as STREAM, SCREAM and AGLEAM, 7 end -RAM and 6 end -HAM, including GRAHAM, FULHAM and PELHAM. Seven matches rank as common words. JIMJAM's 24 points and SHAZAM's 20 make the J and Z entries the ones worth knowing.

The -AM list at a glance

• 45 matches, all ending -AM with A in slot five.
• JIMJAM scores 24, SHAZAM 20 and FIGJAM 19.
• 8 end -EAM, 7 -RAM, 6 -HAM and 3 -JAM.
• B opens 6 matches, while F and S open 5 each.
• Fourteen matches appear in Collins alone, among them JIMJAM, QUIDAM and INGRAM.

Why do the J words win?

J is worth 8 points, so a -JAM compound starts with an edge the rest of the list cannot match. JIMJAM carries two J tiles and lands on 24, while FIGJAM manages 19 on a single one. SHAZAM reaches 20 without a J at all, because its Z supplies 10 points on its own.

Cash in the rare tiles early

Which endings serve 6-letter words with A fifth and M sixth?

-EAM is the largest family at 8 matches, and it stretches across registers: STREAM and SCREAM are everyday words, while AGLEAM, INSEAM, ENSEAM and UNTEAM are literary or technical.

-HAM holds 6 matches and reads like a gazetteer: GRAHAM, FULHAM, PELHAM, BONHAM and DERHAM are surnames and places, with DIRHAM the old coin.

-RAM adds 7 more, from ASHRAM and ENGRAM to INGRAM and MURRAM. The limitation sits with the small words: QUIDAM, BEFOAM and STROAM are Collins-only, and 14 of these 6-letter words with A fifth and M sixth will not appear on a North American list.