6-letter words with N as the 1st letter and L as the 5th letter

The fixed positions narrow the search to 60 tournament-dictionary entries. NEARLY, NOVELS, NICELY are the easiest examples to check by sight. Only 10 matches are in the common-word group, so the complete set mixes familiar vocabulary with less routine plays.

60 matches: the pattern at a glance

• 60 matches fit the pattern; 10 are common words.
• NOZZLE leads the score list at 24 points.
• The leading endings are E (23), Y (18), S (13).
• The common examples include NEARLY, NOVELS, NICELY.

Which words fit n in position 1 and l in position 5?

Start with the positions, then compare the rest of each word: NEARLY, NOVELS, NICELY, NAMELY, NEEDLE, NEATLY. The most frequent endings are E (23), Y (18), S (13). That spread gives you a second clue when more than one candidate fits the fixed letters.

The fixed letters are only part of the clue. NEARLY and NOVELS show how the open slots change while the required positions stay put. Among the first six examples, NICELY and NAMELY give different endings, while NEEDLE and NEATLY widen the opening-letter choices.

How do the top scoring words compare?

What should you keep in mind?

Only 10 of 60 entries are common words, and 46 have definitions in the tournament dictionaries. NEARLY, NOVELS, NICELY, NAMELY are concrete starting points, but check your game's word list before using a less familiar match.

The NO frame is a narrow slice: 173 six-letter words start with S and have L fifth, and 121 start with R, so an N-first clue cuts the field sharply. The five-letter N-L group holds 20 matches and the seven-letter group 73. Dictionary coverage runs 59 in Collins, 45 in NWL2023, and 43 in ENABLE, with the average base score at 9.7.