7-letter words with N as the 2nd letter and O as the 4th letter

The fixed pattern is _N_O___: N sits in the second slot, O in the fourth, and five letters remain open. Only 17 matches rank among the commonest English words, so start with recognizable options like INVOLVE, INCOMES, and INDOORS before testing less familiar entries. The pattern has more tournament-dictionary matches in Collins than in NWL2023.

The N-and-O pattern at a glance

• Pattern _N_O___ matches 206 words in at least one major dictionary.
• U begins 94 matches, ahead of E with 44 and I with 39.
• S closes 80 words, while D is the next most common ending at 55.
• ENJOYED tops the Scrabble scores at 18 points.
• Collins accepts 204 matches; NWL2023 accepts 150 and ENABLE accepts 143.

Which words fit the N-and-O pattern?

Start with words whose shape is easy to recognize: ENJOYED, ONGOING, INVOLVE, ENFORCE, and ANNOYED all place N and O exactly where the pattern requires. INCOMES, ENDORSE, and INDOORS are other familiar fits, though their endings differ.

The first letter narrows the search quickly. The U group offers UNCOVER, UNFOLDS, and UNBOUND, while E and I starters include ENDOWED, ENCODED, INFORMS, and INVOICE.

With another slot blank, keep N and O fixed and try endings in S or D first.

Scores and limits for N-second, O-fourth words

ENJOYED scores 18 points, and INDOXYL also reaches 18; UNBOXED, SNOOZED, ENJOYER, UNZONED, ENDOZOA, and ENZONED each score 17. Those values make the unusual letters in words such as INDOXYL worth a closer look, but familiar words are easier to spot during a timed game.

The 206-match total combines words found in at least one tournament dictionary, not a promise that every game accepts every entry. Collins has 204 matches against 150 in NWL2023, so check your game's list before relying on a less common word. With just 17 common matches, this pattern is better for checking a precise board fit than for guessing a familiar word from scratch.