6-letter words with R as the 1st letter and T as the 3rd letter

The pattern fixes R in the opening spot and T in the third, leaving four letters to narrow down. Among these 97 matches, only 16 rank among the top 25,000 English words by frequency. RETAIN, ROTATE, and RATTLE are recognizable options; the full set also includes less familiar entries and words whose acceptance varies by game dictionary.

What stands out in this letter pattern?

• The pattern has 97 six-letter matches across the tournament dictionaries.
• Only 16 matches rank among the top 25,000 English words by frequency.
• The set includes 74 defined entries, such as RETURN, RATING, and RETAIL.
• Final E is most common at 18 words; final S follows at 17.

Which matches are easiest to recognize?

Start with everyday choices such as RATHER, RETURN, RETAIL, RETAIN, and RETIRE. ROTATE, RATTLE, and RATION also fit the fixed R-and-T positions. ROTORS and RATIOS show that plural endings appear here too.

The final letter offers a quick sorting clue: 18 matches end in E and 17 end in S, while 13 end in N and 12 in D. If the last tile is still unknown, test those endings first. They cover many candidates without committing you to one word.

How do scores and word lists differ?

RITZES leads the scoring list at 15 points, ahead of RATIFY and RETACK at 12 each. RETAKE and RETOOK score 10, while familiar RATHER scores 9. The surprise is RITZES: this less familiar word beats common choices on face-value letter points.

For 6-letter words with R first and T third, dictionary coverage differs: 75 matches appear in ENABLE, 93 in Collins, and 80 in NWL2023. An unfamiliar word accepted in one list may fail in another, so check your game's word list before playing it.