6-letter words with F as the 3rd letter and S as the 5th letter

The pattern is _ _ F _ S _: F in the third position and S in the fifth. Among the 14 matches, REFUSE, DEFUSE and INFUSE share a familiar ending, while OFFISH and OAFISH take a less common route. Only two entries rank among common English words, so expect a short list with a few surprises.

What stands out in the 14-word group?

• Fourteen tournament-dictionary words fit the pattern _ _ F _ S _.
• REFUSE, SAFEST and DEFUSE are recognizable examples.
• Two matches are common English words; 11 have definitions.
• Five entries end in T, four in E and three in H.
• The same pattern with E in the fifth slot has 118 matches, far wider than this set.

6-letter words with F as the 3rd letter and S as the 5th letter

The most useful first split is the final letter: five words end in T, including SAFEST and INFEST; four end in E, including REFUSE, DEFUSE and INFUSE. Three end in H, among them OFFISH and OAFISH. The remaining two finish with I and O.

The first letter spreads across eight options rather than clustering around one starting sound. D, E, I, O, R and T each begin two matches; N and S each begin one. That makes the third-and-fifth-letter clue more selective than guessing from the opening letter.

Which words score highest?

OFFISH leads the tile scores at 15 points, ahead of OAFISH, ELFISH and EFFUSE at 12 each. DEFUSE and DEFAST score 10, while REFUSE, SAFEST, INFUSE and INFEST each score 9. The average across the pattern is 10.2 points.

For a familiar play, DEFUSE beats REFUSE by one point; for raw tile value, OFFISH is the standout. The catch is vocabulary: several matches are uncommon, and tournament acceptance differs. Collins lists all 14, while NWL2023 and ENABLE list 10 each, so check your game's dictionary before playing a less familiar entry.