5 Letter Words
Find five-letter words for Wordle, Scrabble, and word games. Filter by starting letter, ending letter, contained letters, position, and more.
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
Find 5-Letter Words for Wordle
Our 5-letter word finder helps you discover the perfect words for Wordle, Scrabble, Words With Friends, and other word games. Use the filters above to narrow down your search and find exactly the words you need.
How to use the filters:
- Starts with — Enter 1-2 letters to find words that begin with those letters. For example, type "SH" to find all 5-letter words starting with SH (share, shine, shout, etc.).
- Ends with — Enter 1-2 letters to find words ending with those letters. Type "ER" to find words like water, tiger, outer, etc.
- Contains — Enter letters that must appear somewhere in the word. If you type "AE", the results will include only words containing both A and E.
- Letter at position — Place a specific letter in any of the 5 positions. This is perfect for Wordle when you know a letter is in the correct spot (green tile).
- Excludes — Enter letters that should NOT appear in the word. Great for Wordle when you know certain letters are not in the answer (gray tiles).
Wordle Tip: Combine multiple filters for best results. For example, if you know the word starts with S, has an A somewhere, and does not contain R, I, or N, use all three filters together.
Most Common 5-Letter Words
Here are some of the most frequently used five-letter words in the English language, grouped by starting letter. These are excellent words to know for word games and Wordle puzzles.
A - B
aboutaboveadaptadminadmitadoptadultafteragainagreealarmallowalonealongalteramongangelangerangleapple
arenaariseavoidawakeawardaware
basicbeachbeginbeingbelowbirthblackblameblankblastblazebleedblendblessblindblockboardbonusbrainbravebreadbreakbreedbriefbringbroadbrushbuildburstbuyer
C - D
cabincargocarrycatchcausechainchairchaoscharmchartchasecheapcheckchesschiefchildchinaclaimclasscleanclearclimbclockclosecloudcoachcoastcolorcountcourtcovercrackcraftcrashcrazycreamcrimecrosscrowdcrowncruelcurve
dailydancedeathdelaydepthdirtydoubtdraftdraindramadrawndreamdressdriftdrinkdrivedrowndying
E - G
eagerearlyeartheightelecteliteemptyenemyenjoyenterentryequalerroressayeventeveryexactextra
faithfalsefancyfaultfeastfiberfieldfiftyfightfinalfirstflameflashfleetfleshfloatfloodfloorfluidfocusforceforthforumfoundframefrankfraudfreshfrontfruitfullyfunny
giantgivenglassglobeglorygracegradegraingrandgrantgraphgraspgrassgravegreatgreengrindgrossgroupgrownguardguessguestguideguilt
H - L
happyharshheartheavyhellohencehonorhorsehotelhousehumanhumor
idealimageimplyindexinnerinputissue
jointjudgejuice
knownknife
labellaborlargelaterlaughlayerlearnleaseleavelegallevellightlimitlocallogiclooseloverlowerloyalluckylunch
M - P
magicmajormakermanormarchmatchmayormediamercymetalmightminormodelmoneymonthmoralmotormountmousemouthmoviemusic
nervenevernightnoblenoisenorthnovelnurse
oceanofferoftenoperaorderotherouterowner
paintpanelpaperpartypatchpausepeacephasephonephotopianopiecepilotpitchplaceplainplaneplantplateplazapointpoundpowerpresspriceprideprimeprintpriorprizeproofproudprove
Q - T
queenqueryquestqueuequickquietquitequote
radioraiserangerapidratioreachreactreadyrealmreignrelaxreplyriderrightrivalriverrobotroughroundrouteroyalrulerrural
saintsaladscalescenescopescoresenseservesevenshadeshakeshallshameshapesharesharpsheersheetshelfshellshiftshineshirtshockshootshoreshortshoutsightsinceskillsleepsliceslidesmallsmartsmellsmilesmokesolidsolvesorrysoundsouthspacesparespeakspeedspendsplitsportsquadstackstaffstagestakestandstarestartstatesteakstealsteamsteelsteepstickstillstockstonestoodstorestormstorystovestripstuckstudystuffstylesugarsuitesupersurgeswearsweetsweptswiftswingsword
tabletasteteachtheirthemetherethesethickthiefthingthinkthirdthosethreethrowtighttimertiredtitletodaytokentopictotaltouchtoughtowertoxictracetracktradetrailtraintraittrashtreattrendtrialtribetricktriedtrooptrucktrulytrunktrusttruthtwicetwist
U - Z
ultrauncleunderunionuniteunityuntilupperupseturbanusageusualutter
vaguevalidvaluevaporvideovirusvisitvitalvividvocalvoicevoter
wastewatchwaterwearyweaveweirdwhalewheatwheelwherewhichwhilewhitewholewhosewomanworldworryworseworstworthwouldwoundwritewrongwrote
yachtyearnyieldyoungyouth
zebrazesty
Best 5-Letter Words for Wordle
Choosing the right starting word in Wordle can significantly improve your chances of solving the puzzle in fewer guesses. The best Wordle starting words contain a mix of common consonants and vowels, maximizing the information you get from your first guess.
Top Starting Words
Based on letter frequency analysis, these are some of the strongest opening words for Wordle:
- CRANE — Contains five of the most common letters in English (C, R, A, N, E). Often cited as the statistically optimal first guess.
- SLATE — Covers S (the most common starting letter), L, A, T, and E. Excellent for eliminating or confirming popular letters.
- TRACE — Features T, R, A, C, E — all extremely common in 5-letter English words.
- CRATE — Similar to CRANE and TRACE, using the high-frequency letters C, R, A, T, E.
- ADIEU — Tests four of the five vowels in a single guess, useful for identifying which vowels are in the answer.
- STARE — Combines S, T, A, R, E for a powerful blend of common consonants and vowels.
- RAISE — Another vowel-rich option with R, A, I, S, E covering two vowels and three frequent consonants.
- SALET — Identified by computational analysis as one of the mathematically best starting words, narrowing the solution space maximally.
Strategy Tips
Two-Word Opening Strategy: Try pairing CRANE + BUILT or SLATE + MOUND to cover 10 unique, common letters in your first two guesses. This gives you maximum coverage of the alphabet early on.
Additional strategies for Wordle success:
- Avoid repeating letters early. Words like SPEED or TEETH waste positions by testing the same letter twice. Save double-letter guesses for later.
- Prioritize common letters. The most common letters in English 5-letter words are E, A, R, O, T, L, I, S, N. Build your guesses around these.
- Use positional knowledge. The letter S is most common in position 1, E is most common in position 5, and A is most common in position 2 or 3. Our position filter above can help you narrow down options.
- Eliminate vowels early. Most 5-letter words contain 2-3 vowels. Identifying which vowels are in the answer dramatically narrows the possibilities.
5-Letter Words by Pattern
Many 5-letter words share common patterns. Learning these patterns helps you quickly identify possible Wordle answers when you have partial information.
_IGHT Pattern
fightlightmightnightrightsighttighteight
_OUND Pattern
boundfoundhoundmoundpoundroundsoundwound
_ATCH Pattern
batchcatchhatchlatchmatchpatchwatch
_TION Pattern (ending in ...TION)
While most -TION words are longer, some 5-letter words use related endings:
uniononionprionorion
_ANCE / _ENCE Pattern
dancelanceprancefencehencepencesince
_REAM / _EARN Pattern
creamdreamsteamlearnyearn
_ASTE / _ASTE Pattern
hastepastetastewastebaste
SH___ Pattern (Starting with SH)
shackshadeshaftshakeshallshameshapesharesharksharpshaveshawlshearsheensheepsheersheetshelfshellshiftshineshinyshirtshockshoreshortshoutshoveshownshrubshrug
___LY Pattern (Ending in LY)
badlydailyearlyfullygailygodlyhollyjellyjollylowlymanlynewlynoblyoilyrallysadlysillytrulyuglybullybellycurlydollyreplyapplyimplyaptlydimlyslylydullysurly
Frequently Asked Questions
How many 5-letter words are there in English?
There are approximately 12,000+ five-letter words in a comprehensive English dictionary, though the number varies depending on which dictionary you use. The official Wordle game uses a curated list of about 2,300 possible answer words, drawn from common and recognizable English words. Our tool includes over 2,500 of the most common and useful five-letter words.
What are the best 5-letter words to start Wordle?
The best starting words for Wordle contain frequently used letters. Top picks include CRANE, SLATE, TRACE, STARE, and RAISE. These words combine common consonants (S, T, R, N, L) with common vowels (A, E, I) to maximize the information you get from your first guess. Some players prefer ADIEU to test four vowels at once.
What 5-letter words have the most vowels?
Five-letter words with the most vowels (4 vowels) include ADIEU, AUDIO, OUIJA, QUEUE, ABUSE, and ABOUT. Words with 3 vowels are much more common and include OCEAN, PIANO, ANIME, AROSE, ALIEN, IRATE, OAKEN, and EAGLE. Starting with a vowel-rich word can help you quickly identify which vowels the Wordle answer contains.
What are the most common letters in 5-letter words?
The most frequently appearing letters in 5-letter English words are E, A, R, O, T, L, I, S, and N (in approximate order of frequency). The letter E is especially common in the 5th position, S is the most common starting letter, and A appears frequently in positions 2 and 3. Building your Wordle guesses around these letters gives you the best chance of hitting correct letters early.
What 5-letter words start with S?
S is the most common starting letter for 5-letter words. Some popular examples include SAINT, SALAD, SCALE, SCENE, SCORE, SENSE, SHADE, SHAKE, SHAME, SHAPE, SHARE, SHARK, SHARP, SHELF, SHELL, SHIFT, SHINE, SHIRT, SHOCK, SHORT, SIGHT, SINCE, SKILL, SLEEP, SMALL, SMART, SMILE, SMOKE, SOLID, SOLVE, SOUND, SOUTH, SPACE, SPEAK, SPEED, SPEND, STACK, STAFF, STAGE, STAND, START, STATE, STEAL, STEAM, STEEL, STICK, STILL, STOCK, STONE, STORE, STORM, STORY, STRIP, STUCK, STUDY, STUFF, STYLE, SUGAR, SUITE, SUPER, SWEAR, SWEET, SWIFT, SWING, and SWORD. Use our filter tool above to explore all S-words.
What 5-letter words end in E?
E is the most common ending letter in 5-letter words. Examples include ABUSE, ADORE, ALIVE, AMAZE, BADGE, BLAME, BRAVE, CHASE, CLOSE, CRANE, DANCE, DRIVE, EAGLE, ELITE, FALSE, FLAME, FORCE, GLARE, GRACE, GRAVE, HORSE, HOUSE, IMAGE, JUICE, KNIFE, LARGE, LEAVE, MAPLE, NERVE, NURSE, OLIVE, PEACE, PHASE, PLACE, PLANE, PLATE, PRICE, PRIDE, PRIME, PRIZE, PROVE, QUOTE, RAISE, RANGE, RIDGE, ROUTE, SAUCE, SCALE, SCENE, SENSE, SERVE, SHADE, SHAKE, SHAME, SHAPE, SHARE, SHINE, SHORE, SINCE, SLICE, SLIDE, SMILE, SMOKE, SNAKE, SOLVE, SPACE, SPARE, SPIKE, SPINE, SPOKE, STAGE, STAKE, STALE, STARE, STATE, STONE, STORE, STOVE, STYLE, SUITE, SURGE, TABLE, TASTE, THEME, THERE, THOSE, THREE, TRACE, TRADE, TRIBE, TWICE, UNITE, VALUE, VENUE, VOICE, WASTE, WEAVE, WHALE, WHERE, WHILE, WHITE, WHOLE, WORSE, WRITE, and WROTE.
How do I use the 5-letter word finder for Wordle?
After your first Wordle guess, use our filters based on the colored tiles you see. For green tiles (correct position), use the "Letter at position" boxes to place the correct letter in the right spot. For yellow tiles (right letter, wrong position), put the letter in the "Contains" field. For gray tiles (letter not in word), put those letters in the "Excludes" field. Combine all your clues and hit Search to see all matching words.
Ready to Test Your Word Skills?
Put your vocabulary to the test with Word War — the competitive Wordle experience.
Play Word War Now