7-letter words with R as the 3rd letter and S as the 6th letter

The pattern is _ _ R _ _ S _: R sits in the third slot, and S in the sixth; Largest, hardest, and harvest show how naturally the letters fit familiar endings, while purpose and persist offer different shapes; The list spans several dictionaries, but just 15 entries count as common, so many answers are less familiar.

At a glance: the R-and-S pattern

• The pattern has 152 seven-letter matches across the tournament dictionaries counted.
• Collins includes 150 matches, compared with 106 in NWL2023 and 98 in ENABLE.
• Only 15 matches rank among the common English words.
• T is the leading final letter with 45 words; H follows with 37, then E with 31.
• Perkish, parkish, kurbash, and murkish each score 16 points.

7-letter words with R as the 3rd letter and S as the 6th letter

The final letter narrows the search quickly: 45 matches end in T, including largest, hardest, and harvest. Another 37 end in H, as in furnish, garnish, and tarnish; 31 end in E, including purpose and surmise.

The most frequent starting letters are C and H, with 16 words apiece, followed by P with 15. That makes carcass, hardest, and purpose useful candidates when you have a clue for the first letter as well.

A nearby pattern changes the count substantially: 128 words put N in the third slot and S in the sixth, fewer than the 152 with R there. For the same R-and-S positions, the six-letter version has 545 matches.

Which matches score the most?

Perkish, parkish, kurbash, and murkish lead at 16 points each. Carwash, darkish, warmish, and furbish follow at 15, so the strongest scorers tend to be less everyday choices than largest or harvest.

The average score is 10.7 points. Treat that as a guide to tile value, not a promise about a board: premium squares and the letters already played can change a turn's total.