6-letter words with N as the 4th letter and Z as the 5th letter

The fixed pattern is _ _ _ N Z _, and all 10 matches appear in at least one tournament dictionary. Collins includes all 10, while ENABLE and NWL2023 each include five. Only two matches count as common, and the final letter splits the rest into A, E, Y, and O endings.

The N-Z pattern at a glance

• Exactly 10 tournament-dictionary words fit _ _ _ N Z _.
• S starts three matches; B and F start two each.
• K, N, and Q each start one match.
• A, E, and Y are the final letters for three matches apiece; only STANZO ends in O.
• Collins lists 10 matches, compared with five in ENABLE and five in NWL2023.

Which N-Z match scores highest in Scrabble?

QUINZE leads the Scrabble scores at 24 points. KWANZA follows at 22, while FRENZY and FRANZY each score 21; BRONZY reaches 20. Those unusual spellings outrank the more familiar examples because this pattern includes several high-scoring words.

BRONZE scores 17 and STANZA scores 15, so a familiar answer is not automatically the strongest play. Treat the score list as a bonus filter after confirming the word fits your rack and board, rather than assuming the rarest-looking option will always fit.

How do you narrow this pattern?

For 6-letter words with N fourth and Z fifth, check the first and final slots next: S leads three matches, while A, E, and Y each close three. BRONZE ends in E, FRENZY ends in Y, and STANZA ends in A, giving you clear candidates when those edge letters are known.

The Z position makes this a much tighter clue than the sibling pattern with N fourth and E fifth: that sibling has 441 matches, compared with 10 here. Most entries are not everyday vocabulary, and only five qualify in ENABLE or NWL2023, so check your game's word list before committing to a less familiar form.