7-letter words with S as the 3rd letter and E as the 4th letter

The pattern _ _ S E _ _ _ returns 135 tournament-dictionary words, but only 14 rank among the top 25,000 English words by frequency. DISEASE, RESERVE, DESERVE, and ABSENCE are recognizable starting points, while several of the biggest scores come from much less familiar entries. The final letter is often S.

Snapshot of the S-third, E-fourth pattern

• The fixed letters are S in third place and E in fourth across 135 matches.
• R leads as the first letter, with 24 words; M and U follow with 13 each.
• A final S is the most common ending, appearing in 65 entries; E follows with 24.
• Just 14 matches are common by the top-25,000 English-word frequency measure.
• OBSEQUY scores 21 points, the highest score of any match.

Which words score highest in Scrabble?

OBSEQUY tops the score list at 21 points, while JOSEPHS reaches 19. BASENJI, DESEXED, RESEIZE, and EXSECTS each score 16. The unusual letters around the fixed S-E pair do the scoring work; the pattern itself does not add a bonus.

For a less obscure play, BESEECH scores 14, while DISEASE and RESERVE are easier to recognize but do not reach the top scores. These are base tile scores: premium squares on the board can raise a play, while a crowded rack may make the high-value letters hard to place.

How do 7-letter words with S third and E fourth compare?

The 135 matches sit well below the 249 words with R in third place and E fourth, and the 165 with T and E in those positions. Changing only the fourth letter makes an even bigger difference: S followed by T has 476 matches, compared with 135 for S followed by E.

Dictionary coverage also matters. Collins includes 130 matches, NWL2023 has 104, and ENABLE has 89, so the full count does not guarantee every word is playable in every game. Check your game's word list before building a play around an uncommon entry.

A practical first pass is to test familiar words such as ARSENAL, OBSERVE, and ESSENCE, then use the final-letter pattern to narrow the remaining options.

For this exact pattern, the largest group ends in S, but plenty of matches finish with E or D instead. Keep those endings open when the crossing letters rule out plural-looking answers.