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

The pattern is N _ S _ _ _, so the first and third tiles are fixed while the other four can vary. All 33 matches appear in Collins, but only 17 appear in each of ENABLE and NWL2023. That split matters in tournament play: a word accepted in one list may not carry over to another.

At a glance: N _ S _ _ _

• There are 33 six-letter matches with N in position one and S in position three.
• Collins includes all 33; ENABLE and NWL2023 each include 17.
• NESTED, NESTLE, and NOSING are among the listed examples.
• The most common final tile is S: 12 words end that way.
• NOSHED leads the scoring examples at 10 points.

Which N-and-S words are easiest to recognize?

NESTED and NESTLE are familiar anchors in a pattern otherwise crowded with less everyday entries. NOSING and NESTOR show how the same fixed letters can lead to quite different-looking words. The tracked common-word count is zero, so expect many entries to feel specialized rather than conversational.

The final letter gives a quick way to narrow the choices: S closes 12 matches, while R is next with 5. NOSHED is the strongest scoring example at 10 points; NESHER, NOSHER, and NOSILY each score 9. If you need a playable word, compare the exact entry with your game’s dictionary rather than relying on recognition alone.

How does dictionary coverage change your choices?

Collins has the broadest coverage for this pattern, with 33 entries, while ENABLE and NWL2023 each have 17. The source counts do not mean the smaller lists contain identical words, so verify a candidate in the ruleset you are using. NESTED and NESTLE are good starting checks; obscure forms deserve extra care.