6-letter words with I as the 1st letter and R as the 4th letter

The pattern is I _ _ R _ _, with the fourth letter fixed and the other four positions open. There are 25 matching words across the tournament dictionaries counted here, but the lists do not all agree: Collins has 24, NWL2023 has 19, and ENABLE has 17. Only two entries rank as common by our frequency measure, so expect some unfamiliar plays.

At a glance: the I _ _ R _ _ pattern

• Exactly 25 six-letter entries match I _ _ R _ _ across the covered tournament dictionaries.
• Collins lists 24, NWL2023 lists 19, and ENABLE lists 17; those source totals overlap.
• Only two matches are common by our frequency measure; the average tile score is 9.1.
• IMBREX tops the scoring list at 17, followed by IZARDS at 16.

Which 6-letter words have I first and R fourth?

Several recognizable options share an IN_R shape: INBRED, INURED, INURES, INERTS, INTROS, and INTRON. Checking the positions—not just the first and last letters—keeps each of these matches aligned with the clue.

The final letter gives another quick filter. Twelve matches end in S, including INTROS, INURES, and IMPROS. The other endings are much less concentrated, so a known final S narrows the search sharply.

For a contrast, the same six-letter pattern with S first and R fourth has 248 matches. The I-starting set is far smaller, and its limited common vocabulary makes guessing from familiar words alone a poor shortcut.

What do 6-letter words with I first and R fourth score?

IMBREX is the standout at 17 points, while IZARDS scores 16. IMPROV and IXORAS are next at 13 each; INARCH and INWRAP score 11. Those values make the less familiar entries worth checking when a high-value tile is available.

The score leaders are not necessarily the easiest words to play: only two of the 25 matches count as common, and dictionary coverage differs by game. Check your game's word list before relying on a Collins-only entry; the pattern itself does not guarantee acceptance everywhere.