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

The pattern is _ _ F _ _ Y: F must sit in position three, and Y closes the word. The 20 matches range from familiar choices such as SAFETY, SAFELY and SOFTLY to less everyday entries like ORFRAY and NAFFLY. Only three count among common English words, so a pattern match is not automatically a word you will recognize.

The F-and-Y pattern at a glance

• All 20 matches have six letters, F in position three and Y in the final position.
• OFFKEY leads the scoring examples at 19 points before any board bonuses.
• D is the most frequent starting letter, with four matching words.
• ENABLE includes 15 matches, compared with 19 in Collins and 17 in NWL2023.
• The average Scrabble score across the set is 14.3 points.

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

Several recognizable matches use the ending -ly: SAFELY, SOFTLY, DEFTLY, WIFELY and DAFTLY. That shared ending is a practical search clue, but it does not cover every answer: SAFETY, INFAMY and DEFRAY have different word shapes.

The starting letters narrow the hunt further. D begins four entries, while S and W begin three each; E, I, O and R begin two apiece. If your crossing letters leave D open, try DEFTLY, DEFRAY, DEFFLY or DAFTLY.

Which matches score well, and what should you watch for?

OFFKEY is the standout at 19 points, followed by WAFFLY at 18 and EFFIGY and DEFFLY at 16 each. AFFRAY, WIFELY, RUFFLY and WAFERY each score 15 in the scoring values. On a board, premium squares can change the final total.

The main limitation is familiarity: only three of these words are classed as common, and 13 have definitions. Dictionary coverage also differs: Collins accepts 19, NWL2023 accepts 17 and ENABLE accepts 15. Check your game's word list before playing a less familiar entry; the different totals reflect overlapping, not identical, vocabularies.