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

6-letter words starting with DE total 312, including familiar picks like DESIGN and DEGREE plus the 19-point scorer DEFUZE.

312 wordsTop pick DESIGNHighest score DEFUZE 19

58 of 312 are everyday words (19%). A mix of familiar words and game-only finds.

With D in 1st place, E is the most common 2nd letter (312 words). The bar under each letter shows the size of its list.

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Common words 58 · most-used first

Showing the top 48 of 58 common words. See every valid word

All valid words 312

A to Z. Includes rare and Collins-only words. Linked tiles open the word's meaning, score and rhymes.

  • DEACON9
  • DEADED9
  • DEADEN8
  • DEADER8
  • DEADLY11
  • DEAFEN10
  • DEAFER10
  • DEAFLY13
  • DEAIRS7
  • DEALER7
  • DEANED8
  • DEANER7
  • DEARED8
  • DEARER7
  • DEARES7
  • DEARIE7
  • DEARLY10
  • DEARNS7
  • DEARTH10
  • DEASIL7
  • DEATHS10
  • DEATHY13
  • DEAVED11
  • DEAVES10
  • DEAWIE10
  • DEBAGS10
  • DEBARK13
  • DEBARS9
  • DEBASE9
  • DEBATE9
  • DEBEAK13
  • DEBELS9
  • DEBILE9
  • DEBITS9
  • DEBONE9
  • DEBOSH12
  • DEBOSS9
  • DEBRIS9
  • DEBTED10
  • DEBTEE9
  • DEBTOR9
  • DEBUDS10
  • DEBUGS10
  • DEBUNK13
  • DEBURR9
  • DEBURS9
  • DEBUTS9
  • DEBYES12
  • DECADE10
  • DECADS10
  • DECAFF15
  • DECAFS12
  • DECALS9
  • DECAMP13
  • DECANE9
  • DECANI9
  • DECANS9
  • DECANT9
  • DECARB11
  • DECARE9
  • DECAYS12
  • DECCIE11
  • DECEIT9
  • DECENT9
  • DECERN9
  • DECIDE10
  • DECILE9
  • DECIME11
  • DECKED14
  • DECKEL13
  • DECKER13
  • DECKLE13
  • DECKOS13
  • DECLAW12
  • DECOCT11
  • DECODE10
  • DECOKE13
  • DECORS9
  • DECOYS12
  • DECREE9
  • DECREW12
  • DECTET9
  • DECURY12
  • DEDANS8
  • DEDUCE10
  • DEDUCT10
  • DEEDED9
  • DEEDER8
  • DEEING8
  • DEEJAY17
  • DEEMED10
  • DEEPEN9
  • DEEPER9
  • DEEPIE9
  • DEEPLY12
  • DEEVED11
  • DEEVES10
  • DEEWAN10
  • DEFACE12
  • DEFAME12
  • DEFANG11
  • DEFAST10
  • DEFATS10
  • DEFEAT10
  • DEFECT12
  • DEFEND11
  • DEFERS10
  • DEFFER13
  • DEFFLY16
  • DEFIED11
  • DEFIER10
  • DEFIES10
  • DEFILE10
  • DEFINE10
  • DEFLEA10
  • DEFLEX17
  • DEFOAM12
  • DEFOGS11
  • DEFORM12
  • DEFOUL10
  • DEFRAG11
  • DEFRAY13
  • DEFTER10
  • DEFTLY13
  • DEFUEL10
  • DEFUND11
  • DEFUSE10
  • DEFUZE19
  • DEGAGE9
  • DEGAME10
  • DEGAMI10
  • DEGERM10
  • DEGGED10
  • DEGOUT8
  • DEGRAS8
  • DEGREE8
  • DEGUMS10
  • DEGUST8
  • DEHAIR10
  • DEHORN10
  • DEHORS10
  • DEHORT10
  • DEICED10
  • DEICER9
  • DEICES9
  • DEIDER8
  • DEIFER10
  • DEIFIC12
  • DEIGNS8
  • DEISMS9
  • DEISTS7
  • DEIXES14
  • DEIXIS14
  • DEJECT16
  • DEKARE11
  • DEKING12
  • DEKKOS15
  • DELATE7
  • DELAYS10
  • DELEAD8
  • DELEAF10
  • DELETE7
  • DELFTS10
  • DELICE9
  • DELICT9
  • DELIME9
  • DELINK11
  • DELISH10
  • DELIST7
  • DELOPE9
  • DELPHS12
  • DELTAS7
  • DELTIC9
  • DELUDE8
  • DELUGE8
  • DELUXE14
  • DELVED11
  • DELVER10
  • DELVES10
  • DEMAIN9
  • DEMAND10
  • DEMANS9
  • DEMARK13
  • DEMAST9
  • DEMEAN9
  • DEMENT9
  • DEMIES9
  • DEMISE9
  • DEMISS9
  • DEMIST9
  • DEMITS9
  • DEMOBS11
  • DEMODE10
  • DEMOED10
  • DEMONS9
  • DEMOTE9
  • DEMURE9
  • DEMURS9
  • DENARI7
  • DENARS7
  • DENARY10
  • DENAYS10
  • DENETS7
  • DENGUE8
  • DENIAL7
  • DENIED8
  • DENIER7
  • DENIES7
  • DENIMS9
  • DENNED8
  • DENNET7
  • DENOTE7
  • DENSER7
  • DENTAL7
  • DENTED8
  • DENTEL7
  • DENTEX14
  • DENTIL7
  • DENTIN7
  • DENUDE8
  • DEODAR8
  • DEPART9
  • DEPEND10
  • DEPERM11
  • DEPICT11
  • DEPLOY12
  • DEPONE9
  • DEPORT9
  • DEPOSE9
  • DEPOTS9
  • DEPTHS12
  • DEPUTE9
  • DEPUTY12
  • DERAIL7
  • DERATE7
  • DERATS7
  • DERAYS10
  • DERHAM12
  • DERIDE8
  • DERIGS8
  • DERING8
  • DERIVE10
  • DERMAL9
  • DERMAS9
  • DERMIC11
  • DERMIS9
  • DERNLY10
  • DERRIS7
  • DERROS7
  • DERTHS10
  • DESALT7
  • DESAND8
  • DESCRY12
  • DESEED8
  • DESERT7
  • DESHIS10
  • DESIGN8
  • DESINE7
  • DESIRE7
  • DESIST7
  • DESMAN9
  • DESMID10
  • DESORB9
  • DESOXY17
  • DESPOT9
  • DESSES7
  • DESYNE10
  • DETACH12
  • DETAIL7
  • DETAIN7
  • DETECT9
  • DETENT7
  • DETENU7
  • DETERS7
  • DETEST7
  • DETICK13
  • DETORT7
  • DETOUR7
  • DETUNE7
  • DEUCED10
  • DEUCES9
  • DEUTON7
  • DEVALL10
  • DEVEIN10
  • DEVELS10
  • DEVEST10
  • DEVICE12
  • DEVILS10
  • DEVISE10
  • DEVOID11
  • DEVOIR10
  • DEVONS10
  • DEVORE10
  • DEVOTE10
  • DEVOTS10
  • DEVOUR10
  • DEVOUT10
  • DEVVEL13
  • DEWANI10
  • DEWANS10
  • DEWARS10
  • DEWIER10
  • DEWILY13
  • DEWING11
  • DEWITT10
  • DEWLAP12
  • DEWOOL10
  • DEWORM12
  • DEXIES14
  • DEXTER14
  • DEXTRO14
  • DEZINC18
Letters by positionIn 25% of these words the 6th letter is S.
3rd letter
  1. C11%
  2. F10%
  3. A8%
4th letter
  1. A17%
  2. I15%
  3. O13%
5th letter
  1. E21%
  2. R12%
  3. N11%
6th letter
  1. S25%
  2. E19%
  3. T11%

Highest-scoring words

Scrabble and Words With Friends points, before board bonuses
Score spreadMost of these words score 10 in Scrabble; DEFUZE tops the list with 19. Scores before board bonuses.
  1. 77 points: 47 words
  2. 8 points: 28 words
  3. 99 points: 71 words
  4. 10 points: 83 words
  5. 1111 points: 22 words
  6. 12 points: 26 words
  7. 1313 points: 18 words
  8. 14 points: 8 words
  9. 1515 points: 2 words
  10. 16 points: 2 words
  11. 1717 points: 3 words
  12. 18 points: 1 words
  13. 1919 points: 1 words
WordScrabbleWords With FriendsDictionaries
DEFUZE1920All three
DEZINC1820All three
DEEJAY1718All three
DEFLEX1718Collins only
DESOXY1716All three
DEJECT1619All three
DEFFLY1616Collins only
DECAFF1516Collins only
DEKKOS1515All three
DELUXE1416All three
DEXTER1414All three
DECKED1415All three

The fixed DE opening leaves four letters to solve, and the choices range from everyday words such as DEMAND and DEVICE to less familiar Scrabble plays. Of the 312 matches, 58 are among the top 25,000 English words by frequency. That makes the pattern broad, but not every entry is likely to come to mind during a timed game.

At a glance: the DE pattern

  • There are 312 six-letter matches with D first and E second.
  • DESIGN, DEGREE, DEMAND, DECIDE and DEVICE are familiar examples.
  • DEFUZE leads the scoring examples at 19 points.
  • The final letter S is most common, appearing in 78 matches.
  • Collins includes 304 matches, compared with 247 in NWL2023 and 226 in ENABLE.

Which DE words are easiest to recognize?

Start with words that give the remaining letters a clear shape: DESIGN, DECIDE, DEMAND, DEVICE and DEBATE are all recognizable choices. DEGREE repeats E, while DECADE repeats D; those double letters can be easy to overlook when you scan the pattern quickly.

The endings offer another useful clue. S closes 78 matches and E closes 59, well ahead of T at 33. Try a likely ending before testing every possible fourth and fifth letter; that narrows the search without changing the fixed DE start.

How should you use 6-letter words starting with DE?

For Scrabble, DEFUZE scores 19 points in the scoring examples, followed by DEZINC at 18 and DEEJAY and DEFLEX at 17 each. These unusual words can pay off when your rack supports them, but memorizing a score does not guarantee acceptance in your game.

The DE opening is too broad to act as a shortcut: 312 matches leave plenty of room for guesswork. Its strongest use is solving a known letter-position clue or checking a six-letter play. Dictionary coverage differs across the 312 matches, so check your game's word list before challenging an unfamiliar choice like DESOXY.

Questions people ask

How many six-letter words start with DE?
There are 312 six-letter words with D in the first position and E in the second. Familiar examples include DESIGN, DEGREE and DEMAND. The count includes words found in at least one of ENABLE, Collins or NWL2023, rather than entries with no tournament-dictionary source.
What is the highest-scoring six-letter DE word?
DEFUZE is the top scoring example at 19 points. DEZINC follows at 18, while DEEJAY and DEFLEX each score 17. These scores are a starting point for checking plays; your board position and the word list used by your game still matter.
Which final letter is most common in six-letter DE words?
S is the most common final letter, ending 78 of the matches. E comes next with 59, followed by T with 33. If your clue reveals the last letter, an S ending is the strongest first check among these options.

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