7-letter words with X as the 3rd letter and S as the 5th letter

This pattern fixes two positions: the third tile must be X, and the fifth must be S. That leaves just 13 matches across the tournament lists, and none rank among the top 25,000 English words by frequency. HEXOSES and SEXISMS are easier to recognize than several less familiar entries, so check the whole pattern before trying a word.

At a glance: the X-and-S pattern

• There are 13 matching seven-letter words across the tournament dictionaries.
• HEXOSES and HEXOSAN lead the scoring list at 17 points each.
• Twelve matches end in S; HEXOSAN is the sole exception.
• ENABLE includes 8 matches, while Collins and NWL2023 each include 11.

Why are there so few matches?

The two fixed letters create a narrow shape: _ _ X _ S _ _. X already limits possible spellings, and the required S leaves only 13 tournament-listed words. For comparison, changing the third letter to R gives 124 matches, while keeping X and changing the fifth letter to I gives 23.

The opening letters are split rather than dominated by one family. L and S each begin three matches; A, H, and T each begin two, and N begins one. Familiar-looking options include NEXUSES, SEXISMS, and TEXASES, but the pattern also contains less common forms such as AUXESES and LAXISMS.

Dictionary coverage is not identical: ENABLE has 8 of these words, while Collins and NWL2023 each have 11. A word accepted in one game may not appear in another, so check your game's word list before committing an unfamiliar form.

7-letter words with X as the 3rd letter and S as the 5th letter

For a word puzzle, place the known letters first, then test the four blanks against the actual spelling. HEXOSES fits H-E-X-O-S-E-S; its related-looking partner HEXOSAN changes the ending and is the only match here that does not finish with S. That final-letter distinction can eliminate a tempting but incorrect guess.

For board play, the top scores are HEXOSAN and HEXOSES at 17 points, followed by SEXISMS and LAXISMS at 16. The pattern's average score is 14.8. Both 16-point options, SEXISMS and LAXISMS, also end in S.