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

The H in the fourth slot usually teams up with a G: RIGHTS, LIGHTS, NIGHTS, FIGHTS, SIGHTS and EIGHTH all run -IGHT-, and 30 of the 115 matches carry the IGH string somewhere. This is one of the strongest scoring patterns for six-letter words, at an average of 11.7 points. ZITHER tops it on 18, and only the repeat-heavy KISHKE and KISHKA come close.

What does the _I_H_ shape give you?

• 115 matches pair an I with a fourth-slot H.
• 30 of them carry the IGH string, and 21 run -IGHT-.
• 48 matches end in S, more than any other final letter.
• Twenty-four sit in the common tier, and 95 carry a definition.
• The average score is 11.7, with ZITHER leading on 18.

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

The letters either side of the fixed pair scatter widely. A in the second slot returns 126 matches and U returns 84, both ahead of the 115 that carry I, while N drops to 18. Slot four is busier still, with 260 matches when I holds it and 222 when E does.

Familiar words stand out anyway. WITHIN, EITHER, BISHOP, WISHES, DISHES, FISHER, RICHER and CIPHER all appear on the list, and 24 matches fall inside the common tier.

Why does H so often follow a G here?

English spells the long I sound as -IGH-, as in RIGHT, LIGHT and NIGHT, and that habit carries straight into six-letter words. Thirty of the 115 matches put G in the third slot, right in front of the H.

Twenty-one of those then add T in the fifth slot, which is why RIGHTS, LIGHTS, NIGHTS, FIGHTS, SIGHTS, TIGHTS and EIGHTH turn up as one block. If a grid shows you I-G-H, the -IGHT- reading should be your first guess.

A third of the list scores 13 or more