6-letter words with B as the 2nd letter and A as the 3rd letter

This fixed pattern leaves a short, unusual group: none of the 18 matches falls into the common-word band. Sixteen start with A, while the other two begin with E and O. The final letter is more varied than the opening, with ten ending in S and four in R.

The pattern at a glance

• Exactly 18 tournament-dictionary words have B second and A third.
• Sixteen begin with A; ebayer and obangs account for the E and O openings.
• Ten matches end in S, led by examples such as abacus and abates.
• Abakas and abamps tie for the top listed Scrabble score at 12 points.
• Collins includes all 18 matches; NWL2023 includes 14 and ENABLE includes 13.

How many 6-letter words have B second and A third?

There are 18 matches. The striking feature is how heavily they lean toward an A at the start: abacus, abated, abates, and abased all follow the same six-letter frame, while ebayer and obangs are the only non-A starters.

The endings split less evenly. Ten words finish in S, including abayas, abatis, and abacas; four finish in R, including abaser and abater. Two end in D, and abasia and abattu account for the remaining A and U endings.

That S-heavy ending gives you a practical solving check: when your first three letters are known, test S before less frequent final letters. But don't assume every candidate is a familiar everyday word. The set has zero common entries, so several matches are specialist or uncommon vocabulary.

Dictionary coverage also matters in word games. Collins accepts all 18, while the North American NWL2023 list accepts 14 and ENABLE accepts 13. A word appearing in one list does not guarantee acceptance in another, so check your game's word list when a borderline entry matters.

Which matches score the most?