7-letter words with L as the 1st letter and K as the 3rd letter

Each match has L in position one and K in position three, leaving five other letters to narrow your rack or solve a pattern. The set ranges from recognizable forms such as likened and likable to specialist entries such as lokshen and lekythi. Only one word reaches the common-frequency cutoff, so this is a compact clue list, not a dozen everyday choices.

7-letter words with L first and K third at a glance

• Exactly 12 matches fit the L-first, K-third pattern.
• Collins has 11 matches, NWL2023 has 10, and ENABLE has 7.
• Only 1 entry falls within the top 25,000 English words by frequency.
• Three matches end in S; two each end in D and T.
• The average score is 13.5 points; lekythi leads with 17.

Which matches are familiar, and which are specialist words?

Likened, likable, and likings look more familiar than lokshen, lekvars, or lekythi. The frequency split is stark: just 1 of the 12 matches ranks among the top 25,000 English words. A pattern match can still be an obscure play, so check your game's word list before committing to an unfamiliar entry.

The second letter changes the shape of the candidates: likened and likable put I there, while lakebed and lakelet use A. Keep the fixed positions in place as you test possibilities; merely having L and K somewhere in your rack is not enough.

Endings offer another quick filter. Three words finish with S, while D and T each account for two; the remaining five endings occur once apiece.

Which L-and-K pattern word scores highest?

Lekythi is the top scorer at 17 points, ahead of lekking and likably at 16 each. Lakebed, lokshen, and lekvars each score 14, while likable earns 13. The list's 13.5-point average makes the high-value specialist entries stand out from familiar-looking options.

For a score-first choice, compare the actual letters before reaching for a word you recognize: lekythi edges the next pair by 1 point. These are base word scores, so a board premium can change the result. In a pattern puzzle, though, preserve the L and K positions first, then use the ending counts to trim candidates.