6-letter words with T as the 2nd letter and O as the 4th letter

The pattern is _T_O__, and it produces a lopsided group: almost every match starts with S. Familiar choices such as STRONG, STROKE, and STROLL sit alongside less common entries like ETHOXY and STROND. Dictionary coverage differs too: Collins includes every match, while NWL2023 and ENABLE accept fewer.

At a glance: S dominates the matches

• The pattern has 30 six-letter matches across the tournament dictionaries.
• Twenty-four begin with S; A starts two, while E, O, P, and U each start one.
• The most frequent endings are E, with eight words, and S, with seven.
• ETHOXY leads the scoring table at 19 points; STROKE scores 10.
• Only four matches count as common English words by our frequency measure.

Why do so many matches start with S?

S supplies the opening letter for 24 of the 30 matches, creating a strong ST_O__ cluster. STRONG, STROKE, STOOLS, and STROLL are recognizable examples, while STOOGE and STROVE add other familiar options.

The remaining starts are scarce: A appears twice, and E, O, P, and U appear once each. That imbalance is a useful solving clue. If your fixed letters leave the pattern open, test S before cycling through less common initials.

Which matches score well, and which dictionaries include them?

ETHOXY is the standout score at 19, but it is a much less familiar play than STROKE, which scores 10. STOKS and STROOK also score 10. The average score is 8.2, so the top result is an outlier rather than a typical play.

Collins accepts all 30 matches, compared with 22 in NWL2023 and 21 in ENABLE. Only four qualify as common, so many entries are specialist vocabulary rather than everyday guesses. Check your game's word list before playing an unfamiliar match; a word accepted in one dictionary may not appear in another.

For 6-letter words with T as the 2nd letter and O as the 4th letter, prioritize the S-initial cluster when solving, then weigh the board score.