6-letter words with P as the 2nd letter and D as the 4th letter

Picture the pattern as _P_D__, with the first, third, fifth, and final letters still open. The matches are lopsided: S begins 10 of them, while A begins three and E begins two. SPIDER and SPADES are familiar anchors, but only two entries rank as common English words, so many matches are specialist vocabulary.

Quick facts about the P-and-D pattern

• The fixed positions leave 15 six-letter matches across the tournament dictionaries.
• S opens 10 matches; A opens three, and E opens the remaining two.
• Six entries finish with S, the most frequent final letter in this group.
• SPADIX leads at 16 points, with SPUDDY and SPODDY tied at 13.

Which letters fill the open positions?

The opening is unusually concentrated. SPIDER, SPADES, SPADER, and SPADIX all start SP, and six other matches share that S opening. APEDOM, APODAL, and APODES make up the A group; EPODES and EPODIC are the only E starters.

At the other end, SPADES, EPODES, and SPADOS illustrate the six S-final words. R and Y each appear twice as the closing letter. C, D, L, M, and X occur once apiece, giving a confirmed non-S ending a much shorter shortlist than the opening letter does.

Which matches are familiar or score well?

• SPIDER and SPADES are the clearest everyday starting points when checking the pattern.
• SPADIX is the scoring standout at 16 points; its X gives it an edge over the rest.
• SPUDDY and SPODDY each reach 13 points, while APEDOM and EPODIC each score 11.
• Only two of the 15 entries are common, so do not expect every match to feel familiar.
• Collins includes all 15; ENABLE and NWL2023 each include 8, so confirm which word list your game uses.
• The average match scores 10.3 points, so SPADIX at 16 stands well clear of the pack.