7-letter words with H as the 2nd letter and T as the 4th letter

A close race among three starts shapes this group. There are 96 tournament-dictionary matches, including 11 common words by frequency. Examples such as WHETHER, SHUTTLE, and SHOTGUN show how different the candidates can look while holding the same two letter positions.

At a glance 96 matching forms

• 96 seven-letter entries match these exact positions.
• 11 entries meet the common-word frequency measure.
• WHETHER, SHUTTLE, and SHOTGUN fit this pattern.
• CHUTZPA tops the score ranking at 23 points.

Which clues narrow the set

C, W, and S are separated by only two entries from first to third. That tight distribution is unusual enough to guide a search: try those three openings before checking P or R. WHETHER, SHUTTLE, and CHATTER are familiar examples, while RHYTHMS is a useful reminder that the shared internal letter can appear in an unusual word.

S endings occur 24 times, ten more than R. This makes the final square a productive clue after the opening is known. CHUTZPA is the strongest score rankingr at 23 points; the 11 common entries are a safer recall set than the full tournament inventory.

The close start counts make this more balanced than a pattern dominated by one obvious prefix. C, W, and S all deserve attention, while the high S-ending count gives a second useful clue. For a timed puzzle, pair one likely start with a likely ending, then inspect the middle letters.

This reduces blind scanning without assuming every valid entry is familiar.

The range from familiar to obscure is wide. A quick scan can find SHUTTLE or WHETHER, but the less obvious end of the list includes unusual spellings and specialist terms. Use the exact positions to reject close-looking words early, then spend a dictionary lookup only on a candidate that fits every tile.

A scoring note for play

How to read the competing starts

For a clue with both positions known, a three-start scan is more useful than memorizing a single opening. C, W, and S nearly match one another in count. That balance is the distinctive practical feature of this group.