7-letter words with Z as the 1st letter and S as the 7th letter

Z?????S is a high-reward pattern: no word scores under 16, the average is 19.5, and ZIZZLES reaches 34 on paper. Only ZOMBIES is a common word, so most plays come from the specialist side of the dictionary. The second letter matters more here than the ending.

The Z?????S list in numbers

• Collins lists 70 of the 78, NWL2023 lists 59 and ENABLE lists 49.
• 49 words are accepted by all three dictionaries.
• The second letter splits A 19, E 16, I 16, O 15 and Y 11; ZLOTIES is the only L.
• ZIZZLES scores 34 and ZIGZAGS 27; the average is 19.5.
• ZOMBIES is the lone common word, and 64 of the 78 have definitions.

Which second letter should you try first?

A has the most entries, among them ZAFFARS, ZAPPERS, ZANDERS and ZANANAS. E follows with ZEPHYRS, ZENITHS and ZEALOTS, and I brings ZIPPERS, ZINGERS and ZIRCONS.

O covers ZODIACS, ZOMBIES and ZOOMERS, while the Y group has the most technical flavour: ZYGOTES, ZYDECOS, ZYMOSIS and ZYGOMAS. The Y words are all rare, and they make up the technical end of the list.

Why is ZIZZLES worth 14 in practice?

A Scrabble set holds one Z and two blanks, and ZIZZLES needs three Zs. Played with the real Z and two blanks it scores 10 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 = 14, not 34.

The same logic trims ZIGZAGS to 17 and ZOOZOOS, which is also Collins-only, to 15. For a genuine score, look at single-Z plays such as ZEPHYRS and ZEBECKS, which reach 24 and are accepted in all three dictionaries.

Collins takes 70 of the 78, NWL2023 takes 59 and ENABLE takes 49, so check your game's word list before reaching for a rare form like ZAMBUKS.

How does it compare with its neighbours?