6-letter words with C as the 1st letter and E as the 2nd letter

An opening C-E narrows the six-letter pool to 83 tournament-dictionary words. Familiar picks include CENTER, CEMENT, CENSUS, and CEREAL, but only 11 entries meet our common-word cutoff. The pattern is spelling-sensitive: CENTER and CENTRE both appear, so check which spelling your puzzle expects.

What stands out in the C-E group

• The 83 entries come from one or more tournament dictionaries.
• Only 11 entries meet the common-word cutoff.
• Thirty end in S; E is the next most frequent final letter, with 12 words.
• Collins includes 82 entries, NWL2023 includes 67, and ENABLE includes 60; these counts overlap.
• Sixty-six entries carry a definition, and the average score is 9.3 points.

Which C-E words have useful endings or scores?

S is the clear leader at the final position, appearing in 30 words. CENSUS and CEASES show that ending, while CEASED illustrates the smaller D group. If your clue fixes the last letter, start with these endings rather than scanning every C-E option.

For a high-value play, CERVIX and CEAZED each score 18 points in Scrabble. CEAZES follows at 17, while CECITY and CERIPH score 13 apiece. CERVIX is the more familiar-looking option; the rare entries are worth checking against your game's dictionary before you commit.

How to narrow 6-letter words with C first and E second

When a puzzle confirms C and E in the opening slots, use the remaining clues to sort by final letter first. The S ending has the deepest group, with E and D next. Then compare the middle letters against examples such as CEMENT, CEREAL, CELLAR, and CENSOR.

This pattern is a narrow clue, not a guarantee of an everyday answer: just 11 of the 83 entries count as common. CENTER and CENTRE are both included, and dictionary coverage differs across Collins, NWL2023, and ENABLE. For tournament play, verify a less familiar candidate in the word list your game uses.