7-letter words with M as the 2nd letter and L as the 6th letter

The pattern is _M___L_: M sits second and L sixth, leaving five positions open; Collins takes the full 26, while ENABLE and NWL2023 stop at 12 apiece. Familiar anchors include emerald, smuggle, and smartly; most entries are less everyday. Just two qualify as common by frequency, so this clue has a small recognizable core surrounded by specialist vocabulary.

The pattern at a glance

• 26 tournament-dictionary words fit the pattern.
• ENABLE and NWL2023 hold 12 apiece against Collins' 26.
• Only two entries rank among the 25,000 most common English words.
• Emerald, smuggle, and smartly are recognizable examples.
• Smickly leads the Scrabble scores at 18 points.

7-letter words with M as the 2nd letter and L as the 6th letter

A second-position M paired with sixth-position L yields 26 candidates. The corresponding A/L, E/L, and O/L frames hold 383, 308, and 277 words. That gap makes a plausible-looking guess less reliable than it might seem.

Nine entries begin with A, seven with E, and five with S. Use amiable, emerald, and smuggle as starting points; the other first letters are U, I, and O. Keep the M in position two while testing those less common openings.

Which endings and scores stand out?

S is the most frequent final letter, appearing in 10 matches; E appears in six and Y in five. Emerald and smuggle finish differently, and the remaining endings include A, D, and I. Check the last square instead of assuming a final S.

Smickly scores 18 points before premium squares, ahead of smokily at 16; embayld and umwhile score 15 apiece. The average score is 11.9, but dictionary coverage is the constraint: Collins has 26 matches, against 12 in each of the other two lists. For 7-letter words with M as the 2nd letter and L as the 6th letter, verify unfamiliar entries against your game's word list.