7-letter words with Y as the 3rd letter and N as the 6th letter

The ??Y??N? list is a Collins pattern at heart. Collins accepts 65 of the 68 words, while NWL2023 takes 33 and ENABLE 28, fewer than half in each case. Thirty words end in G, and the top two scorers, AVYZING and QUYTING, exist only in Collins.

The ??Y??N? list in five facts

• 68 words fit: Collins lists 65, NWL2023 33 and ENABLE 28.
• G ends 30 words; E and S end 15 each; D ends four.
• P opens 10 words, F and S open nine each, and G opens seven.
• AVYZING scores 23, QUYTING 20, and the average is 13.9.
• Only 3 words are common: PAYMENT, SKYLINE and STYLING.

Why do so many words end in G?

Y is a vowel here, so STYLING, RHYMING, KEYRING, FLYTING and KAYOING all fit the -ING slot with N sixth. Thirty of the 68 end in G, and nearly all of them are -ING forms.

The safe ones are those every list takes: STYLING, RHYMING, KAYOING and FLYTING are accepted in all three dictionaries. KEYRING, SKYTING and RAYLING are Collins-only.

Where do the high scores come from?

AVYZING scores 23 and QUYTING 20, thanks to a Z and a Q at 10 points each, but both are Collins-only. OXYGENS scores 18 and every list takes it, which makes it the better practical play.

SKYFING reaches 18, OXYTONE and FLYHAND 17, and RHYMING 16. A Collins-only word is no help in a North American game, so look up your game's word list before you plan around a 20-point play.

The other big endings are E and S, with 15 words each. SKYLINE, GLYCINE, STYRENE and THYMINE end in E, while OXYGENS, CAYMANS, GLYCANS and HOYDENS end in S.

Where do the bigger patterns sit?