7-letter words with L as the 1st letter and N as the 5th letter

Locking in L at the start and N in the fifth slot leaves a compact set of 79 tournament-dictionary words. Only 8 rank among the most common English words, so familiar entries such as LEARNED, LICENSE, and LEGENDS sit alongside less everyday vocabulary. The list is strongest for pattern solving and checking letter placements, not for finding only common words.

The L-first, N-fifth pattern at a glance

• There are 79 qualifying words across the tournament dictionaries counted here.
• Collins includes all 79; NWL2023 includes 65, and ENABLE includes 62.
• Just 8 entries fall within the top 25,000 English words by frequency.
• LOZENGY leads the Scrabble scores at 20 points; LOZENGE scores 17.
• A final S is common: 41 words end in S, compared with 9 ending in E.

Which words fit L first and N fifth?

LEARNED, LICENSE, LEGENDS, and LEARNER are recognizable starting points. The spelling pair LICENCE and LICENSE both fits, while LATENCY and LIKENED offer different middle-letter patterns. These examples make it easier to check whether a known word matches the exact fifth position.

The ending pattern is striking: 41 of the 79 words finish with S. That makes plural-looking forms such as LEGENDS and LATINOS prominent, while only 2 entries end in N. For another L-first pattern, the fifth-letter I group is much larger at 290 words; changing one fixed slot can expand the search substantially.

How should you use this pattern in a word game?

For a board-game rack, check LOZENGY first when the letters fit: its 20-point base score tops this group, ahead of LOZENGE at 17. LYCHNIS reaches 15, while LUCENCY scores 14. A high score is a clue, not a guarantee of a premium play; board placement still matters.

Dictionary coverage differs, so a word accepted in Collins is not automatically accepted in every tournament set. The list also contains only 8 common words, making an obscure-looking candidate unsurprising. Check your game's word list before relying on a less familiar entry such as LOZENGY.