7-letter words with T as the 2nd letter and R as the 7th letter

A fixed T in position two and R at the end narrows the search to a small, strongly S-heavy group. STARTER, STRIKER, STICKER, and STALKER are recognizable examples. The less obvious twist: the pattern has far fewer matches than several other second-letter choices paired with a final R, so it can prune a rack or puzzle quickly.

7-letter words with T as 2nd and R as 7th letter

• There are 74 entries across the tournament dictionaries counted here.
• A total of 70 begin with S; only four begin with another letter.
• Collins has 74 matches, while NWL2023 has 61 and ENABLE has 60.
• Seven entries fall among the top 25,000 English words by frequency.
• STICKER, STAFFER, STIFFER, STOCKER, STACKER, and STUFFER each score 13.

Why do so many matches start with S?

The pattern usually builds as ST------R: 70 of the 74 words begin with S, including STARTER, STRIKER, STELLAR, and STICKER. The remaining four start with A, I, or U, so don’t assume the first letter is fixed when checking a puzzle.

T is a restrictive second letter in this ending pattern. The O-second, R-last sibling has 390 matches, compared with 74 here. That contrast makes the known positions valuable: lock T and final R before searching through possible first letters.

Which matches score well, and what should you check?

STICKER, STAFFER, STIFFER, STOCKER, STACKER, and STUFFER lead the recorded scoring list at 13 points apiece. ITCHIER follows at 12, while STRIKER, STALKER, and STOPPER each score 11. The average score across the group is 9.3.

The score leaders share a useful rack clue: several use a C, F, or K, letters that lift the total above the group average. Still, only seven matches rank as common words, and 53 have definitions available, so a valid tournament entry may be unfamiliar. Dictionary coverage also differs; check your game's word list before relying on a less familiar match.