7-letter words with L as the 2nd letter and R as the 5th letter

The fixed pattern is _L__R__, leaving the first, third, fourth, sixth, and seventh letters open. CLEARLY and CLEARED sit beside less common entries such as ALFEREZ and ALCORZA. Of the 51 tournament-dictionary words, only 7 rank among the commonest English words, so expect many unfamiliar options.

What stands out in this letter pattern

• All 51 matches fit the seven-letter pattern _L__R__.
• Collins accepts 51; NWL2023 accepts 36, and ENABLE accepts 34.
• Only 7 entries are classed as common, so many options are specialist words.
• A leads the opening letters with 14 words; F follows with 13.

Which words fit the pattern?

Familiar examples include CLEARLY, CLEARED, CLEARER, ELDERLY, ALTERED, and ALLERGY. The opening letters lean toward A and F: C, E, G, and P each start 4 matches, while B starts 3.

D is the most common final letter, appearing 14 times. N, R, and S each end 6 words, while A ends 4. If a crossing square rules out D, examples such as ALLURES, PLEURAL, and FLEURET show other possible endings.

The second letter is a strong filter. Keeping R in fifth place but changing L to E gives 230 matches, compared with 51 here. Changing the fifth-position R to P gives 63 matches.

Which matches score the most?

For 7-letter words with L as the 2nd letter and R as the 5th letter, ALFEREZ leads at 19 points. ALCORZA scores 18 and ALFORJA scores 17; FLYTRAP follows at 15.

CLEARLY scores 12, despite being more familiar than the top three. That contrast is worth remembering: rare-looking words can carry more value because of their letter mix.

Use premium squares to judge a play, and check your game's dictionary before relying on a rare entry. Collins has all 51 matches, compared with 36 in NWL2023 and 34 in ENABLE.