Menu
Find words

7-letter words with X as the 2nd letter and E as the 3rd letter

7-letter words with X as the 2nd letter and E as the 3rd letter come to 12, from EXECUTE and EXERTED to EXEMPTS.

12 wordsTop pick EXECUTEHighest score EXEMPTS 18

1 of 12 are everyday words (8%). Mostly rare words: great for Scrabble, tough for daily puzzles.

With X in 2nd place, C is the most common 3rd letter (28 words). The bar under each letter shows the size of its list.

  • Length
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 6
  • 7
  • 8
  • 9
  • 10
  • 11
  • 12
  • 13
  • 14
  • 15

Best words to play first 12 · most-used first

  • EXECUTE16
  • EXERTED15
  • EXEMPTS18
  • EXEMPLE18
  • EXEGETE15
  • EXEMPLA18
  • AXEBIRD17
  • EXEDRAE15
  • EXEDRAS15
  • EXEEMED17
  • EXEMING17
  • EXERGUE15
All valid words 12

A to Z. Includes rare and Collins-only words. Linked tiles open the word's meaning, score and rhymes.

  • AXEBIRD17
  • EXECUTE16
  • EXEDRAE15
  • EXEDRAS15
  • EXEEMED17
  • EXEGETE15
  • EXEMING17
  • EXEMPLA18
  • EXEMPLE18
  • EXEMPTS18
  • EXERGUE15
  • EXERTED15
Letters by positionIn 92% of these words the 1st letter is E.
1st letter
  1. E92%
  2. A8%
4th letter
  1. M33%
  2. D17%
  3. R17%
5th letter
  1. P25%
  2. R17%
  3. I17%
6th letter
  1. T25%
  2. A17%
  3. L17%
7th letter
  1. E42%
  2. D25%
  3. S17%

Highest-scoring words

Scrabble and Words With Friends points, before board bonuses
WordScrabbleWords With FriendsDictionaries
EXEMPTS1820All three
EXEMPLE1821Collins only
EXEMPLA1821All three
AXEBIRD1718Collins only
EXEEMED1718Collins only
EXEMING1720Collins only
EXECUTE1618All three
EXERTED1515All three
EXEGETE1516All three
EXEDRAE1515All three
EXERGUE1517All three
EXEDRAS1515NWL only

Eleven of the 12 words here simply begin EXE-, so ?XE???? is really an EXE- list with one stray: AXEBIRD. The set is small, built around an 8-point X, and thinly supported by ENABLE, which accepts only 7. Just 1 of the 12 counts as a common word.

What ?XE???? contains

  • 12 words fit: 11 begin EXE- and one begins AXE-.
  • Collins lists 11, NWL2023 lists 8 and ENABLE lists 7.
  • E closes five words, D closes three and S closes two.
  • EXEMPTS, EXEMPLE and EXEMPLA tie at 18 points; the average is 16.3.
  • Only 1 of the 12 counts as a common word.

How do the EXE- words split?

Three share the EXEMP- start: EXEMPTS, EXEMPLE and EXEMPLA. EXEEMED and EXEMING are a second pair, while EXECUTE, EXERTED, EXERGUE and EXEGETE each come from a separate stem.

EXEDRAE and EXEDRAS are plural forms of the same architectural word, and AXEBIRD is the odd one out with A in front.

The endings sort neatly. E closes five (EXECUTE, EXEGETE, EXEMPLE, EXEDRAE, EXERGUE), D closes three (EXERTED, EXEEMED, AXEBIRD), S closes two (EXEMPTS, EXEDRAS), and EXEMPLA and EXEMING end in A and G.

Is there a good reason to learn them?

A rack holding an X and two E tiles narrows quickly here, because the shape is so unusual. EXEMPTS, EXEMPLE and EXEMPLA each score 18, and AXEBIRD, EXEEMED and EXEMING reach 17.

The limit is dictionary support. ENABLE accepts only 7 of the 12 and NWL2023 accepts 8, so some Collins entries can be rejected in North American play; check your game's word list first.

How big is this pattern?

Note

R second with E third has 462 matches, more than 38 times as many. X is the thin slice: X second with C third, and with P third, each have 28.

Questions people ask

How many 7-letter words have X second and E third?
Twelve fit. Eleven begin with EXE and one, AXEBIRD, begins with AXE. Collins accepts 11, NWL2023 accepts 8, and ENABLE accepts 7, so coverage depends on which list your game uses.
What are the 7-letter words that start with EXE?
Eleven do: EXECUTE, EXERTED, EXEMPTS, EXEMPLE, EXEGETE, EXEMPLA, EXEDRAE, EXEDRAS, EXEEMED, EXEMING and EXERGUE. EXECUTE and EXERTED are the two everyday choices, and AXEBIRD is the only word that does not start with EXE.
Which word with X second and E third scores highest?
EXEMPTS, EXEMPLE and EXEMPLA tie at 18 points. AXEBIRD, EXEEMED and EXEMING follow at 17. The 8-point X does most of the work for all six.

Keep going