6-letter words with H as the 2nd letter and I as the 4th letter

That opening rule is what shapes the whole list. S starts 19 of the 42 through SH, T takes 15 through TH, and C fills the last eight through CH. Everyday words sit everywhere: CHOICE, CHAIRS, THEIRS, SHRIMP and SHRINE are all common, and 13 of the 42 qualify.

Six-letter words with H as the 2nd letter and I as the 4th letter

• Forty-two matches, and every one opens with SH, TH or CH.
• S leads with 19 openers, T takes 15 and C covers the final eight.
• SHVITZ is the high mark at 21 points.
• Eleven close on S and 10 on E, so those two letters end 21 of the 42.
• Thirteen count as common, among them CHOICE, CHAIRS, THEIRS and SHRIMP.

Which match scores highest?

SHVITZ runs away at 21, five clear of anything else, because it stacks a V and a Z behind the opening SH. SHEIKH and SHAIKH tie on 16, SHTICK and SHYISH reach 15, and nine more crowd onto 13, including CHOICE, SHRIMP, SHRINK, SHRIEK and SHRIKE.

That spread rewards a V, Z or K: SHVITZ, SHTICK, SHEIKH, SHAIKH, SHRIEK and THRIVE all carry one. The everyday end of the list tops out near 13, and CHOICE, CHAIRS, THEIRS and THRILL reach the board far more often than they reach the top of the scores.

Where the list splits by ending

Eleven matches close on S and 10 on E, and between them they account for 21 of the 42. The S endings lean plural, with CHAINS, CHAIRS, CHOIRS and THRIPS, while the E endings are mostly verbs and nouns such as CHOICE, THRIVE, SHRINE and CHAISE.

Collins carries 40 of the 42, so this frame is friendlier than most rare shapes. Reach for it when a crossword clue hands you an H and an I in fixed slots, and start your guess from the S and T opens rather than the thinner CH group.

Playing the H-and-I shape