6-letter words with C as the 1st letter and K as the 5th letter

A K in the fifth slot lifts everything around it, and the numbers show it: this C _ _ _ K _ group averages 15.1 points, the highest of the C-first frames. Three openings do most of the work, because CH supplies 26 matches, CL supplies 18 and CR supplies 17. Twelve matches rank as common English, and CZAPKA, the top scorer, is not one of them.

Why this C-K frame scores so well

• Sixty-four six-letter words place C first and K fifth.
• CH opens 26 matches, CL opens 18 and CR opens 17.
• Thirty-nine end in S and 18 in Y, including 14 -CKS and 6 -CKY tails.
• CZAPKA tops the score list at 23 points and appears in Collins alone.
• Twelve matches rank as common English, from CHECKS to CROOKS.

How many 6-letter words have C first and K fifth?

Sixty-four. The set is unusually valuable for its size, averaging 15.1 points, against 11.8 for C with E third and 9.7 for C with S third.

Three opening pairs cover nearly everything: CH gives 26 matches, CL gives 18 and CR gives 17, which leaves just CAULKS, COMAKE and CZAPKA outside those clusters.

Endings are just as tidy, with 39 matches closing in S and 18 in Y. The -CKS and -CKY tails together account for 20 of the 64.

Which C K words should you remember?

CZAPKA leads on 23 points, CHUCKY and CHECKY reach 20, and CHUKKA follows at 19. CHEEKY, CHUNKY, CHALKY and CHONKY all sit on 18.

Twelve matches rank as common English, and they are the friendly faces of the group: CHECKS, CHEEKS, CHEEKY, CHICKS, CHUNKS, CHUNKY, CLERKS, CLICKS, CLOCKS, CRACKS, CRANKY and CROOKS.

CZAPKA is the awkward one. It enters from Collins alone, so the highest-scoring play in the set is also the least widely accepted.