7-letter words with F as the 3rd letter and D as the 6th letter

The fixed pattern is _ _ F _ _ D _, and 20 tournament-dictionary entries fit it. Familiar choices such as DEFENDS and REFUNDS sit beside less everyday entries including CAFARDS and EFFENDI. Five words rank among the top 25,000 English words by frequency, so this set mixes common vocabulary with specialist terms.

At a glance: 7-letter words with F third and D sixth

• Twenty entries match the pattern, including DEFENDS, REFUNDS, and UNFOLDS.
• Five matches rank among the top 25,000 English words by frequency.
• NWL2023 includes 19 matches; Collins includes 18 and ENABLE includes 15.
• Sixteen entries end in S, making S the clear leading final letter.
• OXFORDS scores 18 points, the highest score in this group.

What do these F-and-D words have in common?

Sixteen of the 20 matches end in S; just two end in E, while I and O each appear once. DEFENDS, REFUNDS, AFFORDS, and OFFENDS show how often the pattern occurs in familiar inflected forms. Six of the 20 end in -FOLDS: UNFOLDS, ENFOLDS, INFOLDS, UPFOLDS, BIFOLDS and REFOLDS, which is three in ten.

R starts four words, more than any other initial: REFUNDS, REFOLDS, REFEEDS, and REFINDS. O and U each start three. For a nearby clue, the seven-letter pattern with F third and E sixth has 164 matches, far more than this D-sixth set.

Which matches score highest, and where are they accepted?

OXFORDS leads at 18 points; OFFSIDE, AFFORDS, OFFENDS, and EFFENDI each score 14. The group’s average score is 12.3, so the top result stands out rather than representing the typical entry. UPFOLDS, CAFARDS and BIFOLDS come next at 13.

The dictionary counts differ: ENABLE recognizes 15 matches, Collins 18, and NWL2023 19, against 20 unique entries overall. Some words therefore are not shared across all three lists. Check your game’s word list before playing an unfamiliar entry such as CAFARDS or EFFENDI.