7-letter words with R as the 1st letter and L as the 6th letter

With L locked into sixth place, only one tile follows it, and the language gives that tile three main jobs. S makes a plural, Y makes an adverb and E makes a noun or verb. Those three finishes account for 99 of the 122 words, which is why the last letter solves this frame faster than the second.

Facts about the R____L_ frame

• 122 words fit, and 12 are common English.
• 93 carry a definition, and the mean score is 9.8.
• -LS ends 42 words, -LY ends 31 and -LE ends 26.
• E is the second letter in 51 words; A follows with 25.
• RITZILY scores 19, the page high.

How do the three endings split?

-LS words are plurals or third-person verbs, such as RECALLS, RENTALS, rituals and refills. -LY words are adverbs: ROUGHLY, RAPIDLY, readily and rightly.

-LE is the third group, with RECYCLE, reptile and reticle. Together the three cover 99 words, or 81 percent. A, T, L and D split the other 23 words between them, with A closing 6 and T closing 5.

That leaves little room for surprises. If your clue is a noun with no plural, try -LE first; if it describes how something is done, go straight to -LY.

Which words score best?

RITZILY leads on 19, helped by a Z worth 10 and a Y worth 4. Then come rozelle, ranzels and ROCKILY at 16, with roughly and rightly at 14.

Rockily and roughly are ordinary adverbs. If your rack holds a K or an H, an -LY ending is the easiest route to a respectable score, since no heavy tile is needed beyond the one you already have.

Which dictionary should you trust?