6-letter words with K as the 1st letter and N as the 6th letter

KITTEN, KRAKEN, KELVIN and KAFTAN are the recognisable names, and only KITTEN and KELVIN count as common words. The EN tail leads with ten matches, ahead of AN on seven, ON on four and IN on three. KHAZEN tops the scores at 22.

The K-N frame by the numbers

• 24 matches, all starting with K and ending with N.
• Ten close in EN, seven in AN, four in ON and three in IN.
• KHAZEN leads at 22; KAIZEN follows on 19 and KLAXON on 17.
• KITTEN and KELVIN are the only common words.
• Only the three Z and X words break past 15 points.
• KLAXON is the only match holding an X.

Where the K-to-N words come from

This is a borrowing-heavy list. KAIZEN and KYOGEN come from Japanese, KAFTAN from Turkish and Persian, KURGAN from a Turkic root, KITTEN and KRAKEN from northern Europe, and KLAXON began as a trade name for a horn.

The EN endings carry the widest spread: KITTEN, KRAKEN, KAIZEN, KRONEN, KUCHEN, KIPPEN, KYOGEN, KEPPEN, KANTEN and KHAZEN. The AN group adds KAFTAN, KANBAN, KIRTAN, KURGAN, KIRPAN, KALIAN and KOULAN.

The IN group is the smallest, just KAOLIN, KAMSIN and KELVIN, and it holds the only common word besides KITTEN.

Scores and dictionary coverage

KHAZEN scores 22 on a Z and H, KAIZEN 19 on its Z, and KLAXON 17 on an X. KUCHEN follows on 15, then KRAKEN, KIPPEN, KYOGEN and KEPPEN on 14. KELVIN and KAFTAN reach 13.

No match lands between 16 and 18 points, so the list is either led by a rare tile or stuck in the low teens. The rare tiles decide the leaderboard, and few K-words ending N carry one. Collins holds all 24, NWL2023 19 and ENABLE 17; check your game's word list before a KHAZEN play.