6-letter words with F as the 4th letter and Y as the 6th letter

Every match ends in Y, itself worth four points, and the rest of the word decides the rest. Sixteen matches end in -FLY, 16 in -FFY and eight in -FTY, so three endings carry 40 of the 43. The average score of 15.4 is the highest among the F-fourth frames.

6-letter words with F as the 4th letter and Y as the 6th letter

• All 43 matches end in Y, which is worth four points on its own.
• Sixteen close in -FLY, 16 in -FFY and eight in -FTY.
• WHIFFY leads the scores at 21, with CHEFFY, CHAFFY and CHUFFY on 20.
• Only two matches are common: CRAFTY and FLUFFY.
• S opens 11 matches, the largest first-letter group.

Which matches score the most?

WHIFFY reaches 21 with a W and a doubled F, then CHEFFY, CHAFFY and CHUFFY all hold 20. FLUFFY and WAFFLY follow at 18, with SPIFFY, MAYFLY, CLIFFY and POUFFY on 17. The doubled-F endings dominate the top because F already scores four.

Only CRAFTY and FLUFFY count as common, though STUFFY, SHIFTY, DRAFTY and SNIFFY are all everyday words. The -FTY group peaks at 15 with SHIFTY, SHUFTY and SWIFTY, while the doubled-F endings reach 20 and above. A clue about texture tends to point at FLUFFY or STUFFY.

The three endings that carry the list

The -FLY group is largely creatures and adjectives: MAYFLY, GADFLY, SAWFLY and BOTFLY are the insects, while DEFFLY, NAFFLY, NAIFLY and WAFFLY describe manner. The -FFY group is purely descriptive, running from FLUFFY and STUFFY to SPIFFY and WHIFFY. The -FTY eight cover manner and movement.

Check your word list before you play the narrow spellings, since PLUFFY, SPOFFY, PERFAY, SHUFTY and DEFFLY rest in Collins alone. The familiar core is FLUFFY, STUFFY, SHIFTY, CRAFTY and SPIFFY, which cover most everyday clues.