6-letter words with P as the 2nd letter and H as the 3rd letter

The fixed PH pair leaves just four entries in the top 25,000 English words by frequency, so many matches are specialist vocabulary. The collection spans three tournament dictionaries, but their coverage differs: Collins includes all 29, while NWL2023 includes 21 and ENABLE includes 19. SPHERE and UPHOLD are recognizable starting points before you tackle the less familiar entries.

The shape of this 29-word set

• There are 29 tournament-dictionary matches with P second and H third.
• Only 4 matches fall within the top 25,000 English words by frequency.
• Collins contains 29 matches; NWL2023 has 21 and ENABLE has 19.
• SPHYNX tops the scoring list at 21 points, ahead of SPHINX at 18.
• The first letters are U (12), S (7), E (6), A (3), and O (1).

How many 6-letter words have P second and H third?

Exactly 29 six-letter words fit the pattern _PH___ across the tournament lists. The most recognizable examples show two different openings: SPHERE and SPHINX begin with SPH, while UPHELD, UPHOLD, and UPHILL begin with UPH.

U leads the first-letter count with 12 words, well ahead of S’s 7. E accounts for 6, A for 3, and O for just 1. That sharp imbalance makes the opening letters a quick way to narrow a rack or a crossword search; starting with S alone cuts the set to seven candidates.

Which matches are worth checking first?

Start with SPHERE, UPHELD, UPHOLD, and UPHILL when you want familiar examples. For a score-focused play, SPHYNX leads at 21 points, with SPHINX next at 18; both keep the same SPH opening while changing the final three letters.

The long tail is substantial: only 4 of the 29 matches are common by frequency, and words such as EPHORS, UPHROE, and SPHAER are less familiar. Collins has all 29, compared with 21 in NWL2023 and 19 in ENABLE, so check your game's list before playing. The neighboring pattern with I third has 66 matches.