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

Lock in the pattern T _ N _ _ _ and you have 131 tournament-dictionary matches to consider. Familiar picks include TENDER, TENANT, and TANGLE, yet only 18 make the top 25,000 English words by frequency. One unusual comparison: this T-and-N pattern ties the S-and-N pattern at 131 matches, while P-and-N has 163. Expect a mix of everyday vocabulary and obscure game entries.

How many 6-letter words have T first and N third?

• The fixed pattern is T _ N _ _ _; it matches 131 words.
• TONGUE, TENNIS, and TUNNEL are familiar examples.
• S is the leading final letter, with 31 matches ending that way.
• TENZON tops the listed Scrabble scores at 15 points before board bonuses.

Which endings narrow the pattern fastest?

Check S first if the last tile is known: 31 of these words end in S. R is next with 19, then D with 16. That makes TENNIS, TENDER, and TENDED quick examples for those three endings.

The remaining ending counts fall away: E appears 14 times and N appears 9 times. L, Y, and T are less frequent still. When a puzzle fixes the final position, starting with the common S, R, and D groups cuts down the scan.

Which T-and-N words earn the most Scrabble points?

TENZON leads these scoring examples at 15 points, with TINKLY and TINAJA just behind at 13 apiece. TONIFY reaches 12. By comparison, the more familiar TANKER and TINKER each score 10, so recognizable vocabulary does not always win on tile value.

Dictionary coverage is uneven: Collins lists 127 matches, NWL2023 has 104, and ENABLE has 93, against 131 words overall. Only 18 meet the common-word frequency measure, so several matches are niche choices. Check your game’s word list before playing an unfamiliar entry such as TENZON; a high score alone does not mean every dictionary accepts it.