6-letter words with S as the 1st letter and K as the 5th letter

The pattern is S _ _ _ K _, with K fixed just before the final letter. Familiar examples include strike, stocks, stroke, sticks, sharks, and snacks. Only 18 of the 100 entries rank among the top 25,000 English words by frequency, so the full tournament list reaches well beyond everyday vocabulary.

The S-and-K pattern at a glance

• Exactly 100 tournament-dictionary words fit S _ _ _ K _.
• A total of 63 matches end in S, the most common final letter.
• Another 19 end in Y, including sticky and sneaky.
• Collins accepts 95, NWL2023 83, and ENABLE 73; those totals overlap.
• Definitions are available for 87 of the matches.

Which 6-letter words have S first and K fifth?

Start with recognizable matches: strike, stocks, stroke, sticks, snacks, sparks, and stacks. The fixed K appears in several word families, while a final S often marks a plural or verb form. Sticky, sneaky, steaks, and stinks give you a different ending and sound.

For a final-letter clue, 63 matches end in S and 19 end in Y; those two endings account for most of the pattern. The rest finish in E, H, O, A, I, or U.

How much does the fifth-letter clue narrow the list?

S with K in fifth place yields 100 matches, more than T with the same fixed K (40) or C (64). Shift the fifth letter to E, though, and S-starting words rise to 740. That contrast shows how sharply the fifth position narrows a familiar starting letter.

Dictionary coverage varies: Collins, NWL2023, and ENABLE do not include identical sets. Check your game's word list before playing a less familiar entry.

Which matches score well in Scrabble?

For 6-letter words with S as the 1st letter and K as the 5th letter, SHAYKH leads the scorers at 19 points. SHACKY scores 18; SKUNKY and SPECKY each score 17. SHEIKH and SHAIKH score 16, while STICKY reaches 15.