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

Lock in the pattern L-T with one letter between them, then check the remaining four spaces against your rack or puzzle clues. The entries range from familiar choices such as LETTING and LETTUCE to less common words such as LUTHIER. Only 11 are classed as common, so a plausible-looking fit is not automatically a familiar one.

The L-T pattern at a glance

• There are 86 matching seven-letter words; the first letter is L and the third is T.
• LETTERS, LETTING, LOTTERY, and LITERAL show several different ways the remaining letters can fill the pattern.
• Words ending in S dominate the final-letter counts: 38 matches finish with S.
• D, E, and Y tie as the next most frequent endings, with 7 words each.
• LITHIFY leads the Scrabble scores at 16 points; LYTHRUM follows at 15.

Which L-T words are familiar or high-scoring?

LETTERS and LETTING are recognizable forms, while LOTTERY and LATERAL offer different letter patterns after the fixed L and T. LATENCY, LATTICE, and LITHIUM are other examples that keep the third-letter clue intact.

For a score-first play, LITHIFY is the standout at 16 points, helped by its high-value letters. LYTHRUM scores 15, while LATEXES and LUTFISK each score 14. Those are raw tile scores; board premiums can change the final total.

How to use 7-letter words with L as 1st and T as 3rd letter

Start by writing L _ T _ _ _ _. Then sort candidates by the last letter if that clue is known: S is the clear leader, while D, E, and Y are much smaller tied groups. LETTERS, LOTTERY, and LATENCY are useful checks against those endings.

The limitation is familiarity: only 11 matches fall in the common-word group, despite the 86-word total. Tournament coverage also differs by dictionary: 61 entries appear in ENABLE, 82 in Collins, and 70 in NWL2023. Check your game's word list before committing to a less familiar option such as LUTFISK.