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3-letter words with K as the 2nd letter

Nine 3-letter words with K as the 2nd letter fit the pattern, including SKY, SKI, AKA, and six less familiar options.

9 wordsTop pick SKYHighest score SKY 10

3 of 9 are everyday words (33%). A friendly list: most players will know the top picks.

A is the most common 2nd letter in 3-letter words (261 words); J is the rarest (2). The bar under each letter shows the size of its list.

Best words to play first 9 · most-used first

All valid words 9

A to Z. Includes rare and Collins-only words. Linked tiles open the word's meaning, score and rhymes.

Highest-scoring words

Scrabble and Words With Friends points, before board bonuses
WordScrabbleWords With FriendsDictionaries
SKY109All three
AKA77Collins only
SKI77All three
SKA77All three
EKE77All three
AKE77Collins only
OKA77All three
UKE78All three
OKE77All three

A K in the middle leaves a short, distinctive set: SKY, AKA, SKI, SKA, EKE, AKE, OKA, UKE, and OKE. Three entries rank among common English words, while the others are less familiar. Check your game’s dictionary before relying on a rare-looking fit; Collins includes all nine, but ENABLE and NWL2023 include seven each.

At a glance: the nine-word K pattern

  • Nine tournament-dictionary words have K in the middle: SKY, AKA, SKI, SKA, EKE, AKE, OKA, UKE, and OKE.
  • SKY scores 10, the highest value in the set; each of the other eight scores 7.
  • Four words end in E, while three end in A; only SKI and SKY finish with other letters.
  • Three entries are common English words, so most matches are less familiar than SKY or SKI.
  • Collins lists all nine matches; ENABLE and NWL2023 list seven each.

Which 3-letter words with K as the 2nd letter score highest?

SKY leads at 10 points. The other eight matches tie at 7, including the familiar SKI and the less obvious AKE, OKE, and UKE. That makes SKY the clear score pick when it fits your rack and board, but the other entries still offer the same base value.

The ending pattern narrows the choices further: E appears four times and A appears three times. If your final tile is fixed, try E or A first; I and Y each occur once. The three S-starting matches are SKY, SKI, and SKA, while the remaining words begin with A, E, O, or U.

How to use 3-letter words with K as the 2nd letter

For a puzzle clue, lock K into the center and test the known first or last letter against the nine options. An ending E leaves EKE, AKE, UKE, or OKE; an ending A leaves AKA, SKA, or OKA. That split is quicker than scanning the full set.

The scarcity is striking: only nine three-letter matches fit, compared with 43 four-letter words with K in the same position. Short K patterns are therefore much tighter than the next length. In word games, don’t assume every accepted entry carries across dictionaries: Collins has two more matches than either ENABLE or NWL2023.

Questions people ask

Are all nine K-middle words accepted in every word game?
No, dictionary coverage differs. Collins includes all nine words, while ENABLE and NWL2023 each include seven. The lists do not show which entries account for the difference, so check your game's word list before playing an unfamiliar option such as OKE or AKE.
Which endings appear most often in these words?
E is the most frequent ending, appearing in EKE, AKE, UKE, and OKE. A comes next with AKA, SKA, and OKA. SKI ends in I and SKY ends in Y, so those two letters occur only once each.
What is the highest-scoring word with K in the middle?
SKY scores 10 points, ahead of the other eight matches. AKA, SKI, SKA, EKE, AKE, OKA, UKE, and OKE each score 7. Board premiums and other game-specific rules can change a play’s final total.

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