7-letter words with M as the 1st letter and I as the 6th letter

The sixth-place I almost always sits just before a short tail, so the last letter does most of the sorting. C, S and N close 71 of the 115 words, and a few Z-and-Q specials push the scores far above the 12.4 average.

What the M-and-I frame looks like

• 115 words fit; Collins accepts 113, NWL2023 84 and ENABLE 80.
• C ends 26 words, S ends 24 and N ends 21.
• MUEZZIN and MEZQUIT score 27 each, the page high.
• Only 6 of the 115 are common English, though 85 have a definition.
• The 6-letter version of the same frame holds 21 words.

Which endings are worth guessing first?

Try -IC, -IS and -IN. The C group is the biggest: MELODIC, MASONIC, moronic and mimetic. The S group holds MITOSIS, meiosis and marquis, and the N group has MELANIN, maudlin and manikin.

Smaller piles follow, and each one is worth a thought when your rack lacks a C. A closes 13, as in MILITIA and malaria. T takes 9, D takes 8 with mermaid and mislaid, and E and L finish at 4 and 3.

Where do the big Scrabble scores come from?

Two words hit 27: MUEZZIN and MEZQUIT. The first has a double Z worth 20 points on its own, and the second pairs a Z with a Q for the same 20. MAZHBIS follows at 23, then MARQUIS, MAXIMIN and MESQUIT at 18.

None of them will turn up often, because the Z and Q tiles are scarce in a standard bag. If you do hold a Z, an M and an I, the frame gives you something to aim at; otherwise a plain word like MILITIA is the dependable choice.

A quick filter