6-letter words with E as the 2nd letter and C as the 5th letter

The pattern is _E__C_: E stays in position two and C in position five, while the other four letters remain open. SEARCH, REDUCE, DEVICE, SELECT, and REJECT are recognizable matches. Only 15 entries count as common by frequency, so familiar verbs make a small front door into a less predictable word set, and across the tournament dictionaries the totals range from 52 ENABLE matches to 66 in Collins.

What stands out in this letter pattern

• 67 tournament-dictionary words fit the pattern _E__C_.
• SEARCH, REDUCE, DEVICE, and SELECT are familiar examples.
• R leads as the first letter, with 19 matches; D follows with 13.
• T ends 17 matches, just one more than K, which ends 16.
• ZEBECK tops the tile scores at 23 points.

How many 6-letter words have E second and C fifth?

The answer is 67. SEARCH, REDUCE, DEVICE, SELECT, and DETECT show how naturally the pattern catches everyday verbs and nouns. Keep E in slot two and C in slot five, then test the opening and final letters; neither end of the word has a fixed letter.

The everyday core is small: 15 of the 67 matches count as common, although 54 have dictionary definitions. REJECT, DEFECT, MENACE, and DEDUCE are recognizable options beyond the first few examples. MENSCH and MEDICO show how quickly the set also reaches less familiar vocabulary.

Which starting letters and scores stand out?

R begins 19 matches, more than any other first letter; D is next with 13. At the other end, T closes 17 words and K closes 16. When a crossing fixes the final tile, either ending is worth checking before you spend a guess on less common letters.

The scoring leaders have a different profile from the familiar examples: ZEBECK scores 23 points, ZEBECS scores 19, and HEXACT scores 18. Dictionary coverage also varies: Collins has 66 matches, compared with 53 in NWL2023 and 52 in ENABLE. Check your game's word list before challenging a play.

How does this compare with nearby patterns?

Changing only the fifth letter from C to A raises the count to 268; changing it to E raises the count to 991. That sharp jump makes C a genuinely restrictive clue here, not just one more slot to fill.

For 6-letter words with E as the 2nd letter and C as the 5th letter, keep the fixed pattern visible as _E__C_ while testing candidates. If the length is flexible, the same pattern has 18 five-letter matches and 122 seven-letter matches.