7-letter words with D as the 3rd letter and Y as the 7th letter

The pattern is _ _ D _ _ _ Y, but the words vary sharply in familiarity and game value. Only 3 of the 49 are common by English-word frequency, while the scoring leader, hydroxy, is far from everyday vocabulary. Dictionary coverage also differs: Collins accepts more of these entries than NWL2023 or ENABLE, so check your game's list before playing an unfamiliar match.

At a glance: the D-and-Y pattern

• Every match places D in the third slot and ends with Y; the pattern is _ _ D _ _ _ Y.
• Collins includes 46 matches, compared with 39 in NWL2023 and 35 in ENABLE.
• Only 3 matches are common; elderly, orderly and modesty are familiar examples.
• Hydroxy scores 24 points, ahead of zedoary at 20.
• The same pattern with R third has 181 matches, and A third has 180.

Which matches are easiest to recognize?

Start with elderly, orderly and modesty: all three are recognizable words that satisfy the fixed letter positions. Fidgety is another clear candidate, while audibly and giddily show how an adverb can fit the same ending.

Many familiar examples finish with -ly, but that ending is not a guarantee. Modesty and fidgety also qualify without that spelling, so check both letter slots rather than guessing from a suffix. The small common-word count means many remaining matches are less familiar.

Which D-and-Y words score highest?

Hydroxy leads at 24 points, with zedoary next at 20; juddery and jadedly each score 19. These totals make unusual letter choices valuable, but a high score does not mean a word is accepted in every game. Collins has 46 matches, while ENABLE has 35.