7-letter words with Y as the 2nd letter and D as the 3rd letter

Thirteen of the 15 words with YD in second and third place start with H, because HYD- is the Greek root for water. HYDRATE, HYDRANT and HYDROXY are the headline names. LYDDITE and ZYDECOS are the only two without it, and two of the HYD- words, HYDYNES and HYDROMA, appear only in Collins.

The ?YD???? list in brief

• 15 words fit; ENABLE and NWL2023 list 13 and Collins lists all 15.
• H opens 13, while L and Z open one each.
• E and S each end five words, and D ends two.
• HYDROXY scores 24 points, ZYDECOS 22, and the average is 15.8.
• None is a common word, but 12 of the 15 have definitions.

How many start with HYDR-?

Eleven: HYDRATE, HYDRANT, HYDRIDE, HYDROID, HYDROUS, HYDROPS, HYDRASE, HYDRIAE, HYDRIDS, HYDROMA and HYDROXY. HYDATID and HYDYNES are the two HYD- words that skip the R.

HYDRATE, HYDRANT and HYDROUS are the ones that turn up in everyday science and plumbing talk, while the rest are chemical or medical terms that mostly live in word lists.

LYDDITE is the odd spelling out, with a doubled D in third and fourth place, and ZYDECOS is the plural of a Louisiana dance-music style.

Why do HYDROXY and ZYDECOS score so high?

HYDROXY gets 24 from two Ys at 4 each, the H at 4 and the X at 8. ZYDECOS reaches 22 because Z is worth 10 and Y 4, even though its other letters are cheap.

HYDYNES, HYDROPS and HYDROMA add a Y or P and land between 16 and 17, while HYDRIDE brings up the rear of the top six at 15.

Dictionary cover is not complete: Collins takes all 15, but the other two take 13, so confirm unusual terms like HYDYNES and HYDROMA, which are Collins-only, in your game's word list.

What if the pattern is not YD?