6-letter words with Y as the 3rd letter and E as the 5th letter

This six-letter pattern produces 106 tournament-dictionary entries, yet only 5 rank among the common words by frequency. Familiar anchors include STYLES, OXYGEN, and MAYHEM, while many matches are less familiar. Collins includes 106; NWL2023 has 43 and ENABLE has 42.

At a glance: the Y-and-E pattern

• Exactly 106 tournament-dictionary words fit the Y-third, E-fifth pattern.
• STYLES, OXYGEN, MAYHEM, and GEYSER are recognizable anchors among the matches.
• Only 5 matches meet the common-frequency threshold.
• Final S leads with 53 matches; D follows with 28.
• AVYZED tops the scoring examples at 22 points.

Which endings appear most often?

S leads with 53 matches, and D follows at 28; no other ending reaches 8. N appears at the end of 7 words, R at 6, while T and Y each finish 3.

That skew is useful when a final tile is known: test S or D before spending guesses on a rare ending. The first letters are less concentrated: S begins 20 matches, F begins 12, and G, P, and R each begin 10. STYLES is a familiar example that fits the pattern.

Work the fixed slots on your rack

Start with recognizable forms such as STYLES, STYLED, OXYGEN, RHYMES, and MAYHEM, then check the final tile against the heavy S/D split. Only 5 entries are common by frequency, so an unfamiliar-looking match is not automatically a typo.

Read the pattern as _ _ Y _ E _: the second and fourth slots stay open, leaving room for several candidates. If your crossings suggest S at the end, compare STYLES, RHYMES, and MAYBES; a D crossing points toward STYLED or DAYBED.

For a quick elimination pass, check the final letter before chasing the rarer interior combination. S and D dominate, while E and L appear at the end of only 2 matches apiece.

Choose a word for the game and board

• With S last, try STYLES, RHYMES, MAYBES, or THYMES.
• With D last, check STYLED, RHYMED, or DAYBED.
• AVYZED scores 22; AVYZES scores 21 and AZYMES scores 20.
• Collins includes 106 matches, compared with 43 in NWL2023 and 42 in ENABLE; check your game's dictionary before playing.