6-letter words with E as the 1st letter and H as the 6th letter

E starts every match and H ends it, so the final pair decides the family: nine words close in -SH, seven in -CH, and EIGHTH stands alone on -GH. The average score of 11.7 points is high for a fixed pair, because X and CH combinations appear often. Only EIGHTH, ENOUGH and ENRICH count as common English words.

Twenty H-endings and one 18-point prize

• Nine matches close in -SH and seven in -CH; EIGHTH is the lone -GH ending.
• EXARCH scores 18, ahead of EIGHTH, EMPATH, EPARCH and EMMESH on 13.
• The average score is 11.7 points, lifted by X, V and CH combinations.
• Collins holds 19 of the 20, while NWL2023 lists 14 and ENABLE only 11.
• Only EIGHTH, ENOUGH and ENRICH rank among the 25,000 most common English words.

Why does this list score so well?

H is worth four points, and the pattern rarely wastes it. EXARCH pairs an X with CH for 18, EIGHTH and EMPATH reach 13 through GH and PH, and EMMESH doubles the M in front of a valuable H.

The -CH group supplies the top band, with EXARCH at 18, EPARCH at 13, and ENRICH, ELENCH and ENARCH on 11. The -SH half peaks at EMMESH on 13, and ELVISH, ELFISH and EMDASH follow on 12.

Six entries sit in Collins alone, namely EADISH, EDDISH, ELENCH, EMMESH, ENARCH and ERIACH, and ENABLE rejects nine of the 20. Check your game's word list before playing an unfamiliar H-word.

Which H-ending words use everyday vocabulary?

ENOUGH, EIGHTH and ENRICH are the three familiar entries, and every one of the 20 carries a dictionary definition.

ELVISH and ELFISH read as familiar, yet neither makes the common-word group, and rare forms such as ERIACH and EADISH are the hardest to place. EXARCH is the clear pick for points, and EIGHTH gives a familiar route to 13.