6-letter words with E as the 2nd letter and F as the 3rd letter

The fixed pattern is _EF___: the second tile is E, the third is F, and four letters remain open. BEFORE, REFORM, and DEFEND show how varied the first letter and ending can be. Collins accepts all 88 matches, while ENABLE includes 66, so the game’s dictionary changes how much of the set you can play.

At a glance: the E-F pattern

• There are 88 matches across the tournament dictionaries represented here; Collins contains all 88.
• ENABLE has 66 entries and NWL2023 has 72, so dictionary coverage is not identical.
• Only 15 entries are classed as common by wordfreq frequency.
• R begins 32 words and D begins 30; B is third with 14.
• Final E leads with 15 words; D has 13, while L and S each have 12.

6-letter words with E second and F third

The count is 88, but the pattern does not lock the first letter: R accounts for 32, D for 30, and B for 14. Familiar examples include BEFORE, REFORM, DEFEND, and REFUSE; those openings show why checking the first tile can quickly narrow a rack or crossword clue.

Endings spread out rather than clustering around one finish. E is the most frequent final letter at 15, followed by D at 13; L and S tie at 12. That makes the last square a useful filter, especially when the board or clue fixes a final letter.

Which examples and scores stand out?

Start with recognizable choices: BEFORE, REFORM, DEFEAT, DEFEND, DEFINE, and REFUSE. They are among the more familiar matches, though only 15 entries are classed as common by wordfreq frequency. Much of the full set is less familiar, so a valid pattern match is not automatically a word you will know.

The dictionary gap matters: Collins has 88 matches, NWL2023 has 72, and ENABLE has 66. A match accepted in Collins is not guaranteed in a North American game, so check your game’s word list before playing an unfamiliar entry.

Scoring shifts the picture: JEFFED tops the provided scores at 20, followed by DEFUZE at 19 and DEFLEX at 17. Those totals outscore familiar options such as BEFORE, but the high scorers are less everyday. For 6-letter words with E as the 2nd letter and F as the 3rd letter, a fixed ending narrows the choices faster than guessing from memory.