7-letter words with R as the 3rd letter and S as the 5th letter

With R fixed in position three and S in position five, the pattern leaves 124 seven-letter choices across tournament word lists; FORESTS, PHRASES, ARRESTS, and VIRUSES show how readily the final S appears, while FORESAW and FORES EE break away from that plural ending; Only 7 entries count as common, so the full set reaches well beyond everyday vocabulary.

The R-S pattern at a glance

• 124 tournament-dictionary words match the fixed R-at-three, S-at-five pattern.
• FORESTS, PHRASES, ARRESTS, and VIRUSES are examples that end in S.
• 59 entries end in S, about 48% of the set.
• WORKSHY leads the score list at 20; THRASHY and ABRASAX each score 16.
• Dictionary coverage overlaps: 121 entries appear in Collins, 88 in NWL2023, and 79 in ENABLE.

How do these R-S words start and end?

P is the most common first letter, with 20 matches; A follows with 18 and C with 11. Phrases and PHRASED illustrate how the same opening can lead to different endings, while AEROSOL finishes with L. The pattern fixes two letters but leaves plenty of room for different word shapes.

The 59 final-S words make up about 48% of the 124 matches, a strong tilt toward plural-looking forms. Still, FORESEE, FORESAW, AEROSOL, and PARASOL show why the fifth letter alone cannot tell you how a word ends.

Coverage differs by dictionary: Collins includes 121 matches, compared with 88 in NWL2023 and 79 in ENABLE. Those counts overlap rather than forming separate groups. Check your game's word list before relying on an unfamiliar entry, especially since only 7 matches are classed as common.

Which words stand out for score?

• WORKSHY is the top scorer at 20 points, an unusually strong result for a word that fits this fixed-letter pattern.
• THRASHY and ABRASAX each score 16, while CHRISTY scores 15.
• The average score is 9.9, so WORKSHY sits well above the typical result in this group.
• R-third/I-fifth has 744 matches, R-third/E-fifth has 468, and this S pattern has 124.