6-letter words with I as the 1st letter and S as the 3rd letter

The second letter is the real dividing line here: N carries 20 matches, S carries four and T only one. Ten of the words sit inside the top 25,000, so the pattern feels familiar even though a few entries are technical. Scoring stays modest, and INSHIP is the only match that reaches 11 points.

How does this INS- set break down?

• 25 six-letter words match, with I in the first slot and S in the third.
• N fills the second slot in 20 matches, S in 4 and T in just 1.
• 10 matches are common words, among them INSIDE, INSECT, INSIST and ISSUES.
• INSHIP tops the scoreboard at 11 points, and ITSELF is next on 9.
• Only 8 of the 25 reach 8 points, so heavy plays are rare in this group.

6-letter words with I as the 1st letter and S as the 3rd letter

The in- prefix claims 20 of the 25 matches: INSIDE, INSANE, INSIST, INSERT, INSULT and INSECT all follow it, and so do rarer cousins like INSOUL, INSPOS and INSULA. Because the S is locked in place, these words all read as a single chunk, the way INSIDE splits into IN and SIDE.

The four ISS- words, ISSEIS, ISSUED, ISSUER and ISSUES, share a different stem from the issue family, while ITSELF stands alone as the only match beginning with ITS. No other second letter appears.

Which matches reach double figures?

INSHIP is the only word above 9 points, at 11, and it earns that number from the H rather than from a premium tile. ITSELF follows on 9, then six words share 8: INSECT, INSEAM, INSTEP, INSPAN, INSEEM and INSPOS. Eight matches in total reach 8 points or better.

The average score is 6.9, which is what happens when a set is built from everyday speech instead of odd consonants. Collins carries 24 of the 25 and NWL2023 carries 23, so an entry can vanish depending on which list your game honours.

Try T and E before anything exotic