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

The fixed pattern is _T_R__, leaving the first, third, fifth and sixth letters open. Only 14 of the 47 matches rank among the top 25,000 English words by frequency, though 34 have definitions. Start with familiar-looking entries such as STARES, STORES and STORMS, then consider less common possibilities if those letters do not fit.

The _T_R__ pattern at a glance

• Forty-seven tournament-dictionary words match the six-letter pattern _T_R__.
• Thirty-seven begin with S; A starts three, while P and Y start two each.
• Sixteen end in S, making it the most common final letter; E appears five times.
• Fourteen matches are common by frequency, and 34 have definitions.

Which T-and-R words are familiar?

Begin with the S cluster: STARES, STORES, STORED, STORMS, STEREO and STOREY all satisfy the pattern. The S-starting group accounts for 37 of the 47 matches, so checking other first letters is worthwhile only after that large cluster fails.

The frequency figures give a useful reality check: just 14 matches are common, even though 34 have definitions. This is a constrained clue, not a promise that every dictionary entry will sound familiar. For comparison, changing the second letter from T to A while keeping R in slot four gives 168 matches.

Dictionary coverage differs across games. Collins includes all 47 matches, compared with 33 in NWL2023 and 31 in ENABLE. Some valid pattern matches will not be accepted in every tournament word list, so check your game's list before challenging.

Which matching words score the most?

• STYRAX leads the scoring list at 16 points; its unusual spelling makes it less familiar than STORES.
• STORAX scores 13, while STORMY, STARCH, ATHROB and YTTRIC each score 11.
• STYRAX beats the next word by three points, but a familiar word is easier to land on your rack.
• Base tile scores and board squares are separate: a premium square changes the turn total, not the word's rank.