7-letter words with S as the 1st letter and S as the 3rd letter

This pattern has a compact set of answers: only six of the 38 words rank among the commonest English words. SYSTEMS, SESSION, SISTERS, and SUSTAIN are familiar examples; others, such as SESSILE and SISTRUM, are less likely to come to mind during a game. The third-letter S sharply narrows the search.

At a glance: the S_S____ pattern

• The pattern contains 38 tournament-dictionary words, all seven letters long.
• Only six entries are common English words, so expect unfamiliar options too.
• SASHAYS and SYSTYLE tie for the top tile score at 13 points.
• The most frequent final letter is S, found on 15 words.
• Collins lists 38 matches; ENABLE and NWL2023 each list 27.

How many 7-letter S_S____ words are there?

There are 38 matches. Their openings are fixed as S-S, but the other five positions allow plenty of variation: SYSTEMS and SISTERS finish in S, SESSION ends in N, and SUSTAIN ends in N too. That repeated ending is a useful clue when you know the word has a familiar plural or verb form.

The ending spread is led by S with 15 words, followed by E with six and G with five. N, R, T, and Y each finish two entries; A finishes one. This makes a final S a strong first guess, but it still leaves 23 words ending in other letters.

Scoring, dictionary coverage, and the catch

SASHAYS and SYSTYLE are the scoring leaders at 13 points apiece. SYSTEMS and SASHIMI each score 12, while SUSPECT scores 11. The average score is 8.7, so these words are not all premium-tile plays; the two top scorers stand out because their letter mix rewards you more.

The 38-word total reflects Collins coverage, while ENABLE and NWL2023 each include 27 matches. Check your game's word list before building around an unusual entry: SYSTYLE, SESSILE, and SUSLIK are much less familiar than SESSION. For 7-letter words with S as the 1st letter and S as the 3rd letter, start with common examples, then use the exact pattern to test rarer plays.