6-letter words with E as the 2nd letter and Y as the 4th letter

That fixed pattern leaves a compact, unusually obscure group: none of the 14 ranks among the 25,000 most common English words. Their first letters are concentrated in B, H, and R, while half finish in S. RETYPE is a straightforward example, but the strongest score belongs to HEXYLS, and the clue fixes only two of six slots while still leaving just 14 matches.

A rare pattern with a standout scorer

• The pattern has 14 matches in Collins; ENABLE and NWL2023 each include six.
• B begins four matches, ahead of H and R at three each.
• Seven matches end in S; four end in E and three end in D.
• HEXYLS scores 19, topping BEDYDE, BEDYED, and HERYED at 13 apiece.
• None ranks among the 25,000 most common English words by frequency.

6-letter words with E second and Y fourth

RETYPE is the clearest everyday-looking example, while BERYLS and REDYES show the pattern’s range. Other matches include BEDYDE, BEDYED, BEDYES, DEBYES, CETYLS, DESYNE, HERYED, HERYES, HEXYLS, MENYIE, and REDYED.

E stays in slot two and Y in slot four; the first, third, fifth, and last letters can vary. Nine of the 14 have definitions, but a definition does not guarantee acceptance in your game, so check its word list before committing to an unfamiliar form.

Why is the fourth-position Y such a narrow filter?

Changing the fourth letter from Y to I expands the six-letter set from 14 matches to 383. The seven-letter version of the same E-and-Y pattern is barely larger, at just 20 matches. That sharp contrast makes the fourth slot worth checking before you broaden a search or settle on a candidate.

Ten matches start with B, H, or R, the most productive opening letters to test. Seven end in S, twice as many as end in D. HEXYLS scores 19 against the group average of 12.1, while RETYPE and BERYLS each score 11.