7-letter words with D as the 2nd letter and L as the 4th letter

This narrow letter pattern has only 15 tournament-dictionary matches, and none falls in the common-word group. Recognizable entries include IDOLIZE and IDYLLIC, but the list also contains less familiar forms such as ODYLISM and UDALLER. The first letter is a useful filter: I and A account for most of the options.

The pattern at a glance

• Exactly 15 tournament-dictionary words match the _D_L___ pattern.
• IDOLIZE leads the tile-score list at 17; IDYLLIC and ODYLISM each score 13.
• Six matches start with I, five with A, three with O, and one with U.
• Final E appears three times; D, M, R, and T each end two matches.
• Ten of the 15 entries have definitions, and none is common by the frequency cutoff.

How many 7-letter words fit _D_L___?

There are 15 matches in all. Start with IDOLIZE, IDOLISE, or IDYLLIC if you want familiar-looking options; ADELGID and ADULATE also fit the fixed second- and fourth-letter slots. These examples show why checking each position matters: a word can begin with a different letter and still satisfy the same pattern.

The opening letters split sharply: I leads with six words, A follows with five, O has three, and U has one. For a partially known grid, test I and A first. That leaves fewer candidates to check than treating all possible first letters as equally likely.

Which matches score highest, and what should you watch for?

IDOLIZE scores 17 on the tile-score list, ahead of IDYLLIC and ODYLISM at 13 each. ODALISK scores 12, while ADULTLY and IDYLIST each score 11. Those are letter totals before board bonuses, so a premium square can change the final play without changing the word’s base ranking.

Dictionary coverage overlaps: ENABLE contains nine matches, Collins thirteen, and NWL2023 eleven, while the combined set has 15 unique words. Don’t add the three dictionary counts as if they were separate groups. Several entries are uncommon, so check your game’s word list before relying on an unfamiliar form.