6-letter words with R as the 5th letter and I as the 6th letter

The fixed ending narrows the search quickly, but the words themselves are an unusual mix: examples include SAFARI, TAMARI, NIGIRI and PAPYRI. Only one of the 37 counts as common by word frequency. That makes this pattern a good fit for a precise letter clue, not a list of everyday vocabulary.

At a glance: words with R fifth and I last

• 37 tournament-dictionary entries have R in position five and I in position six.
• All 37 end in I; the letter before that final I is always R.
• Only one entry is common by word-frequency ranking.
• Collins includes 36 matches, compared with 20 in NWL2023 and 16 in ENABLE.

Which R-I words score highest?

JAWARI and JOWARI tie for the top score at 16 points each. CHOKRI follows at 15, while KOKIRI and CHOWRI score 14. PAPYRI and HAKARI are next at 13, so the less familiar entries can outscore recognizable words such as SAFARI.

For a board play, check the word’s placement as well as its base score. JAWARI’s high score comes from its letters, but the actual play depends on the board squares and any cross-words you form. Treat the ranking as a shortlist, not a promise of points.

Why do dictionary counts differ?

The 36 Collins entries do not all carry over to North American play: NWL2023 has 20, and ENABLE has 16. A word accepted in one list can fail in another, so check your game’s word list before challenging or committing a play.

The narrow pattern is also much smaller than nearby endings: 586 six-letter words have R fifth and S sixth, compared with 37 ending in RI. That contrast matters when you have a choice about the final tile. For a clue requiring the exact pair, keep the I fixed and test the preceding R before considering broader R-ending searches.