Five-letter words are the backbone of Wordle and many other popular word games. Whether you are searching for the perfect starting word, trying to solve today's puzzle, or just want to expand your vocabulary, this comprehensive guide covers everything you need to know about 5-letter words in the English language.

We have analyzed thousands of five-letter words by letter frequency, vowel patterns, consonant clusters, and common endings to create the most useful reference for word game players. Bookmark this page, because you will come back to it again and again.

5-Letter Words by the Numbers

Let us start with some perspective on just how many five-letter words exist:

• Total 5-letter words in English: Approximately 12,500
• Wordle answer pool: About 2,300 common words
• Wordle accepted guesses: About 10,000 valid entries
• Most frequently used in daily life: About 1,500 words

This means that even experienced players encounter unfamiliar 5-letter words regularly. Building your mental dictionary is an ongoing process, and this guide will accelerate it.

For a complete browsable database of 5-letter words, visit our 5-letter word list where you can search by starting letter, ending letter, and contained letters.

The Most Common 5-Letter Words in English

These are the five-letter words that appear most frequently in everyday English writing and speech. Knowing these well gives you a strong foundation for any word game:

Top 50 Most Common 5-Letter Words

Best 5-Letter Starting Words for Wordle

Choosing the right starting word is the single most impactful decision you make in each Wordle game. The ideal first guess maximizes letter coverage using the most frequently occurring letters in English. Here are our top picks, ranked by effectiveness:

S-Tier Starting Words

For a deep dive into starting word strategy, read our complete Wordle starting word analysis.

5-Letter Words with the Most Vowels

Vowel-heavy words are incredibly useful as second guesses in Wordle, especially when your first guess reveals few vowels. They are also common in Spelling Bee puzzles. Here are the most useful ones:

4-Vowel 5-Letter Words

• ADIEU - farewell (A, I, E, U)
• AUDIO - sound/hearing (A, U, I, O)
• AULOI - Greek flutes (A, U, O, I)
• OUIJA - spirit board (O, U, I, A)

3-Vowel 5-Letter Words (Most Useful)

Common 5-Letter Word Patterns

Understanding recurring letter patterns helps you guess words faster in Wordle and find more words in Spelling Bee. Here are the patterns that appear most frequently:

Words Ending in Common Suffixes

Words ending in -IGHT

EIGHT, FIGHT, LIGHT, MIGHT, NIGHT, RIGHT, SIGHT, TIGHT, WIGHT

Strategy note: These words share 4 letters, making them a notorious Wordle trap. If you see _IGHT forming, you may need multiple guesses to find the right starting consonant.

Words ending in -OUND

BOUND, FOUND, HOUND, MOUND, POUND, ROUND, SOUND, WOUND

Words ending in -ATCH

BATCH, CATCH, HATCH, LATCH, MATCH, PATCH, WATCH

Words ending in -TION

Five-letter words rarely end in -TION, but words ending in -TION patterns across all lengths are among the most common in English.

Words ending in -ASTE

BASTE, HASTE, PASTE, TASTE, WASTE

Words ending in -ANCE/-ENCE

DANCE, FENCE, LANCE, PENCE, SINCE

5-Letter Words by Starting Letter

Knowing which starting letters are most common helps you prioritize guesses. Here is the distribution of 5-letter words by first letter, ranked from most to least common:

Browse our complete word lists organized by starting letter:

• 5-letter words starting with S
• 5-letter words starting with C
• 5-letter words starting with B
• 5-letter words starting with T
• Browse all 5-letter words

5-Letter Words by Ending Letter

The last letter of a Wordle answer is often the key to solving it. Here are the most common ending letters:

Browse words by ending letter:

• 5-letter words ending in E
• 5-letter words ending in Y
• 5-letter words ending in T
• 5-letter words ending in R
• Browse all 5-letter words

Consonant-Heavy 5-Letter Words

Sometimes you need the opposite of vowel-heavy words. Consonant-heavy five-letter words are useful when you have already identified most vowels and need to narrow down consonants:

Words with Only 1 Vowel

Double Letter 5-Letter Words

Words with repeated letters are common in Wordle but often overlooked by players. About 30% of Wordle answers contain at least one repeated letter. Here are some of the most common patterns:

Double Letters in the Middle

ABBEY, ALLEY, BELLY, BERRY, BULLY, DIZZY, DOLLY, FUZZY, GIDDY, HAPPY, JELLY, JOLLY, KITTY, LLAMA, MESSY, MUDDY, PADDY, PENNY, PUPPY, RALLY, SAVVY, SILLY, SUNNY, TALLY

Repeated Letters (Non-Adjacent)

ARENA, ERASE, LEVEL, MIMIC, PUPIL, RADAR, SALSA, SENSE, STATS, TEETH, TENET, VERVE

Strategy tip: When you are stuck in Wordle with several gray letters but no repeated-letter guesses, consider that the answer might use a letter twice. Many players avoid double-letter words in their guesses, which creates a blind spot.

Strategic Word Groups for Wordle

Beyond individual words, thinking in terms of word groups can dramatically improve your Wordle strategy:

The Elimination Duo

Use two words that together cover 10 unique, high-frequency letters:

• SLATE + CORNY = S, L, A, T, E, C, O, R, N, Y
• CRANE + SPLIT = C, R, A, N, E, S, P, L, I, T
• STARE + BLIND = S, T, A, R, E, B, L, I, N, D

The Vowel Sweep

When you need to identify vowels quickly:

• ADIEU covers A, I, E, U in one word
• AUDIO covers A, U, I, O
• Follow either with a consonant-heavy word like STERN or PRONG

5-Letter Words for Spelling Bee

Five-letter words are also crucial in Spelling Bee, where you create words from seven given letters. The difference is that Spelling Bee allows repeated letters and requires one specific center letter. Here are tips for finding more 5-letter words in Spelling Bee:

• Try every vowel combination: If your letters are A, E, I and consonants, systematically try A_I_E, E_A_I, etc.
• Look for common 5-letter patterns: -TION, -MENT, -ABLE, -NESS are rare in 5-letter words, but -IGHT, -OUND, -ATCH are common
• Double the center letter: Since the center letter must appear, try words that use it twice (e.g., if center is T, try words like TREAT or TOAST)
• Use the helper: Our Spelling Bee Helper can give hints without spoiling the answer

Uncommon but Valid 5-Letter Words

Learning a few uncommon five-letter words can give you an edge in both Wordle and Spelling Bee. These words are valid in most word games and might save you when common words do not fit:

• AGAPE - unconditional love / mouth wide open
• BIJOU - a small, elegant trinket
• CAULK - to seal gaps
• DEMUR - to object mildly
• EPOXY - a type of adhesive
• FJORD - a narrow sea inlet
• GAUZE - thin fabric
• HEIST - a robbery
• KNACK - a skill or talent
• LYMPH - bodily fluid
• NICHE - a specialized segment
• PIQUE - to stimulate or irritate
• QUALM - a feeling of unease
• QUIRK - an unusual habit
• SWATH - a wide strip
• TRYST - a secret meeting
• USURP - to seize power illegally
• VIVID - intensely bright or clear
• WHELP - a young dog or child
• ZESTY - appealingly piquant

For more uncommon words that are valid in word games, read our guide on 25 obscure words every word gamer should know.

How to Use Word Lists Effectively

Simply reading word lists will not make you a better player. Here is how to study them strategically:

1. Focus on patterns, not memorization: Instead of memorizing individual words, learn common letter combinations and endings
2. Play actively: Use Wordle and Spelling Bee daily to encounter words in context
3. Review missed words: After each game, look up any answer you did not know and add it to your mental dictionary
4. Use our word finder tools: The Wordle Helper and Spelling Bee Helper can reveal words you might be missing
5. Browse by pattern: Our 5-letter word database lets you search by starting letter, ending letter, and contained letters

Complete 5-Letter Word Resources

We maintain an extensive database of five-letter words organized for easy browsing:

• All 5-letter words - Complete searchable database
• 5-letter words starting with A through Z
• 5-letter words ending in E (most common ending)
• 3-letter words, 4-letter words, 6-letter words, 7-letter words
• Complete word list hub

Conclusion: Building Your 5-Letter Word Arsenal

Mastering five-letter words is a journey, not a destination. The English language has thousands of valid options, and even the most dedicated word game players discover new ones regularly. The keys to improvement are consistent daily play, strategic study of common patterns, and a willingness to learn from every puzzle you solve (or fail to solve).

Start with the common words and patterns in this guide, then gradually expand into less common territory. Before long, you will find yourself solving Wordle in fewer guesses, climbing higher ranks in Spelling Bee, and impressing yourself with the depth of your vocabulary.