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

Every match begins with the ED pair, and the third letter sorts them into five neat families. EDI supplies five words, including EDIBLE, EDITED and EDITOR, while EDD and EDG add four each. Eight entries end in S and three in D, so plurals and past tenses dominate the group.

How the 18 split into families

• All 18 six-letter matches open with ED, and the third letter divides them five ways.
• The families are EDI with five words, EDD and EDG with four each, EDU with three and EDE with two.
• EDDISH and EDGILY tie for the top score at 11 points.
• Eight entries end in S and three in D; EDITED, EDUCED and EDDIED are the past-tense ones.
• EDIBLE, EDITED, EDITOR and EDGING are the four in the 25,000 most common English words.

Why does ED- produce such tidy matches?

ED rarely opens a word on its own, so each match runs straight into a familiar stem. EDIBLE and EDICTS share the EDI shape, EDGING and EDGILY the EDG-, and EDEMAS and EDENIC the EDE-.

The endings split three ways. Eight words take a plural or third-person S, among them EDICTS, EDILES, EDUCES, EDUCTS, EDDIES, EDDOES, EDEMAS and EDGERS, and EDITED, EDUCED and EDDIED take a past-tense D. The other seven keep the stem's own close, as EDGING and EDIBLE do.

Familiar vocabulary is the exception: EDIBLE, EDITED, EDITOR and EDGING are the only entries among the 25,000 most common words, and the remaining 14 belong to quizzes and game boards. Dictionary coverage is wide, though, with 18 in Collins and 17 each in NWL2023 and ENABLE. EDDISH is the single Collins-only entry, so check your game's word list before playing it.

Which ED words score the most?

EDDISH and EDGILY reach 11 points, the best in the group, with EDUCED next on 10 and a nine-point band that includes EDIBLE, EDGING, EDICTS, EDUCES and EDUCTS. The pattern averages 8.8 points.

Doubled letters drive the top scores, with EDDISH, EDDIED and EDDOES all carrying DD, and EDGILY leaning on G and Y. The common words score less impressively: EDIBLE on 9 and EDITOR on 7.