6-letter words with D as the 3rd letter and L as the 6th letter

D stays put in the third slot and every match ends in L, so the fifth letter decides the sound. Ten of the 20 words close in -AL, the everyday MEDIAL and RADIAL alongside the obscure BEDRAL and PODIAL. Only three of them rank as common English words, which makes a thin list even thinner.

What the 20 matches have in common

• Nineteen of the 20 end with a vowel followed by L; the -AL group alone covers ten.
• BEDELL is the only -LL ending, and ORDEAL the only match whose second letter is a consonant.
• PODZOL leads on 18 points, with WADMAL, WADMEL and WADMOL tied on 12.
• BEDRAL, PODIAL, REDEAL and VIDUAL appear in Collins alone.
• MEDIAL, ORDEAL and RADIAL are the only three among the 25,000 most common English words.

Why does the -AL ending dominate?

Every match closes in L, so the fifth letter sets the tone. Ten words end in -AL, four in -EL, three in -OL, and one each in -IL and -UL, leaving BEDELL as the only double-L close.

R opens five of the 20, more than any other letter: RADIAL, REDIAL, RIDGEL, RIDGIL and REDEAL. P supplies three and W another three, so those letters account for 11 of the 20 words.

Collins carries all 20, but NWL2023 and ENABLE list just 16 each, and BEDRAL, PODIAL, REDEAL and VIDUAL are Collins-only, so a fifth of the list is out of reach in those games. Check your game's word list before playing one of them.

Which of the 20 words are worth playing?

PODZOL is the outlier at 18 points, six clear of the WADMAL, WADMEL and WADMOL trio on 12. FODGEL reaches 11, CUDGEL, AIDFUL and VIDUAL sit on 10, and the average is 9.6.

The Z in PODZOL is worth ten points on its own, and it is the only Z in the list. Familiar words are the low scorers here: RADIAL and ORDEAL manage just 7, and MEDIAL 9.