6-letter words with R as the 3rd letter and S as the 4th letter

The fixed pattern is _ _ R S _ _: R occupies position three, and S immediately follows it. Among the 108 matching words, familiar choices include PERSON, HORSES, NURSES and CURSES. The set also includes names and less everyday vocabulary, so a match to the letter pattern does not guarantee that every game accepts the word.

At a glance: 6-letter words with R third and S fourth

• There are 108 tournament-dictionary matches for the _ _ R S _ _ pattern.
• PERSON, JERSEY and HORSES are recognizable examples in the set.
• C and P tie as the most common starting letters, with 13 matches apiece.
• S is the most common final letter: 36 words end in S.
• Only 13 entries fall among the 25,000 most frequent English words.

Which letters start these pattern matches?

C and P each begin 13 matches, followed by B and H with 12 apiece. V starts 11, while T and W each start nine. That gives you a compact way to narrow a clue: when the first tile is known, C, P, B and H are the richest starting groups.

The final position has a sharper skew. S closes 36 words, more than twice the 13 that end in L; R and D follow with 11 and 10. Examples of the S-ending group include HORSES, NURSES, BURSTS and VERSES. Across the full set, one in three entries ends in S.

Which matches score well, and what should you watch for?

JERSEY leads the scoring examples at 16 points, followed by KIRSCH at 15 and MARSHY at 14. Those are stronger scoring choices than the set’s 8.8-point average. If you have a J, K or Y available, check whether the board offers a premium square before spending it.

The pattern is not a shortcut to everyday vocabulary: just 13 matches are classed as common. Alongside PERSON and CURSED, the list contains specialized or less familiar words such as TARSUS, KIRSCH and BORSCH. Dictionary coverage also differs: Collins includes 106 matches, compared with 79 in ENABLE and 82 in NWL2023. Check your game’s word list when a rare entry matters.