6-letter words with R as the 1st letter and A as the 5th letter

R as the opening tile and A in position five gives you a tight pattern, but the endings still branch. REPEAT, RENTAL, RITUAL, and RUNWAY show how different the remaining letters can look. The count is modest beside the S-first, A-fifth pattern, which has 194 matches.

At a glance: the R _ _ _ A _ pattern

• The fixed pattern is R _ _ _ A _, with no restriction on the final tile.
• REPEAT, REVEAL, RENTAL, and RITUAL are familiar examples.
• L ends 19 entries; S ends 13, and N ends 12.
• Only 11 entries rank among the commonest English words by frequency.
• Dictionary coverage differs: 61 ENABLE, 80 Collins, and 67 NWL2023 entries.

Which endings narrow the pattern fastest?

L is the most common final letter, closing 19 words; S closes 13, and N closes 12. Together, those endings dominate the choices. If your last square is unknown, keep L, S, and N near the top of your candidate scan.

The matching pattern with R first and E fifth is much larger, at 371 entries. That contrast shows how sharply the fifth-letter clue filters this set. REPEAT, REVEAL, REPEAL, REPLAY, RELOAD, and REREAD illustrate the range of familiar choices; RENTAL, RADIAL, and RITUAL offer different endings and letter mixes.

How do scores and dictionary coverage compare?

For 6-letter words with R as the 1st letter and A as the 5th letter, dictionary totals are not interchangeable: Collins lists 80 matches, NWL2023 lists 67, and ENABLE lists 61. A word accepted in one game's lexicon may fail in another, so check the word list before playing an unfamiliar entry.

RIZZAR leads the score table at 24 points; RYOKAN and RIOJAS each score 13. REPEAT, REVEAL, RENTAL, and RITUAL are more recognizable candidates, while RIZZAR is far less familiar. Do not treat the highest tile score as the safest play: a strong score is worthless if your game rejects the word.