7-letter words with E as the 1st letter and Y as the 2nd letter

Three tiles decide most of this list: E, Y, E. Twenty-seven of the 30 matches begin EYE, and only two EYA words and one EYL word break the run. Three entries are common words, and all three describe the face: EYEBALL, EYEBROW and EYELIDS.

The EY pattern at a glance

• Thirty seven-letter words have E first and Y second.
• Twenty-seven open with EYE, two open with EYA and one opens with EYL.
• Collins takes all 30, NWL2023 takes 25 and ENABLE takes 22.
• EYEHOOK and EYEWINK top the scores at 17 points each.
• S is the commonest ending with 9 words; E follows with 5.

What do the 27 EYE words have in common?

Most are compounds you can read straight off the tiles. EYEBROW, EYELIDS, EYEBALL and EYELASH are the everyday set, with EYEWEAR, EYESORE and EYELESS close behind. EYEBOLT, EYEHOLE and EYELIFT are more technical but still easy to parse.

Endings give the quickest split. Nine words end in S, such as EYELIDS and EYECUPS, five end in E and four in T. The H and K groups hold three words each, with EYEBATH, EYEBANK and EYEHOOK among them.

The odd pair EYALETS and EYASSES skips the EYE start, and EYASSES is the plural of EYAS, a young hawk.

Which E-first, Y-second words score best?

EYEHOOK and EYEWINK lead at 17 points, with EYEWASH and EYEBANK at 16. EYEBROW and EYEBATH reach 15, so the everyday word sits only two points behind the leaders. The K, H and W tiles do the lifting, and the average word here scores 12.8.

Coverage is the limit. Collins accepts all 30, but NWL2023 takes 25 and ENABLE 22, so check your game's word list before playing EYEHOOK or EYALETS. For a wider net, S-first words with Y second number 63, more than double the 30 here.