6-letter words with E as the 3rd letter and H as the 5th letter

Two consonant pairs split the group: four words end in -CHE and four in -THE, while CHETHS, KHETHS and SIETHS put TH before a final S. QUETHE tops the scores at 18, and the average of 12.9 is high for such a short list.

What the 18 contain

• 18 matches, 13 with definitions; none is a common word.
• Eight end in E, five in S and three in Y.
• Four close on -CHE: CRECHE, FLECHE, CLECHE and OBECHE.
• Seven contain TH, including SEETHE, TEETHE, QUETHE and WRETHE.
• QUETHE leads at 18; BEECHY and KHETHS reach 16.

6-letter words with E as the 3rd letter and H as the 5th letter

The -CHE four are the most recognisable. CRECHE and FLECHE have the widest use, while CLECHE and OBECHE are Collins-only and rarely seen.

The TH group is larger and stranger. SEETHE and TEETHE are the two most familiar verbs, QUETHE and WRETHE are archaic, and CHETHS, KHETHS and SIETHS are plurals ending in -THS.

The three Y endings split by consonant: FLESHY pairs SH with the pattern, while BEECHY and REECHY use CH.

Which entries score best?

QUETHE leads at 18 on its Q, two clear of BEECHY and KHETHS on 16. FLESHY and KLEPHT reach 15, FLECHE, REECHY and CHETHS 14, and CRECHE, CLECHE and OBECHE 13.

The leader is Collins-only, and so are CLECHE, OBECHE, WRETHE and SIETHS. Those five are missing from both NWL2023 and ENABLE, which each accept 13 of the 18.

For 6-letter words with E as the 3rd letter and H as the 5th letter, the 12.9-point average comes from a stack of H, CH and Q tiles. With no common word to fall back on, a solver needs the dictionary more than memory.