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

Most of these words contain the same three-letter core. In 52 of the 67, E sits between the V and the R, which makes the pattern V-E-R. The next question is the ending: -RED closes 15 words, and -RTS and -RER close 7 each.

The V-then-R pattern in numbers

• Collins lists 66 of the 67 words, NWL2023 lists 56 and ENABLE lists 52.
• Thirteen are everyday words, from SEVERAL, COVERED and POVERTY to ADVERTS and GOVERNS.
• Final letters: S closes 17, D closes 16, E closes 9 and R closes 7.
• WYVERNS tops the scores at 16, with POVERTY and NAVARCH on 15.
• A word here averages 11.7 points.

Why do 52 of the 67 words have an E in fourth place?

English is full of words built on VER: SEVERAL, REVERSE, DIVERSE, ADVERSE and INVERSE all contain it. Because the pattern fixes V and R, the E in the middle is a safe first assumption.

The second letter then sorts the 52 further. A, E, I and O are the second letters of 56 of the 67 words, with A on 18, E on 16, and I and O on 11 each.

COVERED and SEVERED also share the same -VERED tail, which gives you a quick test when the clue names an action already completed.

Which endings should you try?

-RED gives 15: COVERED, FAVORED, FEVERED, HOVERED, LEVERED, REVERED, SAVORED, SEVERED and WAVERED lead the way. Try it whenever the clue is a past tense.

-RTS has 7: ADVERTS, CAVORTS, COVERTS, DIVERTS, INVERTS, OBVERTS and REVERTS. -RNS has 5: CAVERNS, GOVERNS, TAVERNS, WIVERNS and WYVERNS.

-RER has 7 and -RSE has 5, with REVERSE, DIVERSE, ADVERSE and INVERSE among the -RSE words. That makes five tails for 39 of the 67 words.

Common words, rare words and one cross-listing