7-letter words with H as the 1st letter and D as the 5th letter

The fixed letters leave 28 tournament-dictionary matches, and only one of them is classed as common: holiday. By comparison, the H-first pattern with I in fifth place has 340 matches. That gap makes D the restrictive clue; changing it to I opens a much larger search pool.

The H-D pattern at a glance

• All 28 matches appear in at least one of ENABLE, Collins, or NWL2023.
• Holiday is the only common entry among these 28 words.
• HUMIDEX and HEXADIC lead at 20 points each; HEXADES scores 18.
• Five words end in S; M, R, and Y each finish four.

How rare is the H-D slot pattern?

Only 28 seven-letter words fit H in the first slot and D in the fifth, so the pattern is selective before crossing letters enter the puzzle. One of those 28 is classed as common: holiday. That familiar option gives you a strong starting point, while the rest need more careful verification.

The nearest striking comparison keeps H first but changes D to I: that pattern has 340 matches. Swapping one fixed letter expands the pool more than twelvefold. When a clue confirms D in position five, keep that exact slot in your search instead of broadening to every H word.

Other recognizable candidates include hounded, hoarder, hoarded, halides, and humidor. These examples show how the remaining letters can form familiar words as well as less common vocabulary, but crossing letters still decide which candidate fits.

How do 7-letter words with H first and D fifth score?

HUMIDEX and HEXADIC share the top score at 20 points apiece. HEXADES follows at 18, then HOLYDAY at 17; the familiar holiday scores 14. The average score for the full group is 13.8, so the two leaders sit well above the typical match.

The final letter is varied despite the fixed D: S is most common with five endings, while M, R, and Y each account for four. D itself finishes three words. For a crossing clue, test the ending as well as the two known positions; it quickly separates options such as holiday, hounded, and hoarder.

The 28-word total is a combined count, not a promise that every game accepts every entry. Collins includes 27, NWL2023 has 23, and ENABLE has 21. Check your game's word list before committing to an unfamiliar choice such as humidex.