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

The pattern is L---S--: keep L in slot one and S in slot five, then fit four remaining letters around them. Only one entry qualifies as common by our frequency measure, so LIAISON stands apart from a mostly specialist set. LOCUSTS, LOTUSES, and LIAISED give you recognizable starting points, while 29 entries have definitions.

At a glance: 39 matches, mostly uncommon

• There are 39 tournament-dictionary matches for the exact L-at-one, S-at-five pattern.
• Twenty-seven end in S, far more than any other final letter in this group.
• Collins lists 35 matches; NWL2023 lists 29, and ENABLE lists 23.
• Only one entry meets the common-frequency threshold; 29 are defined.
• LAXISMS and LEWDSBY share the leading letter score at 16 points.

How many words fit L---S--?

The pattern yields 39 words. Each follows L---S--, but the accepted sets overlap: Collins has 35, NWL2023 has 29, and ENABLE has 23. Those dictionary counts describe eligibility, not three exclusive batches, so adding them would overstate the number of distinct answers.

Start with LIAISON, LOCUSTS, LOTUSES, or LIAISED when you need a word you are likely to recognize. LOCUSTS and LOTUSES both finish in S, fitting the dominant ending: 27 of the 39 matches end that way. The list has only one common-frequency entry, so many remaining candidates are specialist vocabulary rather than everyday guesses.

The fixed slots leave the second, third, fourth, sixth, and seventh tiles open. Try vowels around LIAISON before spending a turn on an obscure entry. The 27 final-S matches form a strong subset to scan, but an S at the end is not required by the pattern.

Which matches score most, and what is the catch?

LAXISMS and LEWDSBY tie at 16 points, the top score here. LIMPSEY, LAXISTS, and LEXISES each score 14, while LOCKSET earns 13. Check the X-bearing words first when rack points matter; the highest scorer does not have to be the most familiar word.

The 7-letter words with L as the 1st letter and S as the 5th letter make a narrow clue pool, not a reliable source of familiar vocabulary: only one qualifies as common. Confirm Collins, NWL2023, or ENABLE acceptance for your game, since Collins has 35 matches and NWL2023 has 29; the difference matters in cross-dictionary play.