7-letter words with C as the 2nd letter and L as the 3rd letter

Locking C into the second slot and L into the third leaves a compact set of tournament words. ECLIPSE and ECLAIRS are the most familiar entries; SCLERAL and SCLAVES are less obvious options. Collins includes all 17, while NWL2023 includes 11, so check your game's word list before playing an unfamiliar form.

How many 7-letter words have C second and L third?

• 17 tournament-dictionary words match the C-L pattern in positions two and three.
• Collins accepts all 17; NWL2023 accepts 11 and ENABLE accepts 9.
• S is the most common first letter, appearing in 9 matches; E starts 5.
• Eight words end in S, making S the leading final letter.
• Only one match ranks among the top 25,000 English words by frequency.

Which C-L words are easiest to recognize?

ECLIPSE, ECLAIRS, and ECLOGUE show the pattern in familiar-looking forms beginning with E. Together, they make the opening sequence E-C-L easy to spot, but the other four letters still vary: ECLIPSE ends in E, while ECLAIRS ends in S.

Nine matches start with S, including SCLERAE, SCLERAL, and SCLIFFS. The first two share a stem, so checking the final letters can separate them when you know the pattern but have not confirmed the word ending. SCLAVES and SCLAFFS provide different continuations from the same opening.

Which matching words score highest?

YCLEPED, SCLAFFS, and SCLIFFS each score 15 points in Scrabble before board bonuses. YCLEEPE is close at 14, while SCLAVES scores 12. These are the strongest plays among these plays, not a guarantee of the best move: premium squares and board position change the total.

ECLIPSE scores 11 and ECLOGUE scores 10, so recognizable words do not lead this score group. The less familiar high scorers can be easy to overlook, but dictionary coverage differs: all matches appear in Collins, while fewer appear in NWL2023 or ENABLE.