5-letter words with A as the 2nd letter and V as the 3rd letter

Lock A into the second position and V into the third, and the remaining slots still produce a varied set. SAVED, SAVES, and SAVER share one recognizable stem; FAVOR and HAVEN take the pattern in different directions. Just 13 matches rank among the top 25,000 English words by frequency, so expect plenty of less familiar choices too.

What stands out in this A-and-V pattern

• The fixed pattern yields 73 five-letter matches across tournament dictionaries.
• SAVED, FAVOR, WAVES, NAVAL, and HAVEN are among the recognizable examples.
• Only 13 matches fall within the top 25,000 English words by frequency.
• A final S is the leading ending: 20 words finish that way.
• P and S tie as the most common first letters, with eight matches apiece.

How do these words fare in Wordle and word games?

Twelve matching words appear among Wordle answers, and all 12 are also present in tournament dictionaries. The allowed-guess count is 73, so the pattern gives you more possible guesses than answer-list entries. FAVOR, WAVES, and SAVED are easier to recognize than many of the less common matches.

For scoring, JAVAS and JAVEL lead at 15 points each; SAVVY, WAVEY, and NAVVY follow at 14. HAVOC scores 13, while FAVOR and WAVES each score 11. These are useful candidates when your rack or board position supports the letters, but a high face-value score alone does not guarantee a strong play.

The ending counts offer a practical clue when you have one blank slot: S appears 20 times, ahead of R at 12 and N at 11. That S group includes forms such as SAVES, WAVES, and CAVES, so check if your crossing letters support a plural or verb form rather than guessing from the ending alone.

Dictionary coverage differs: Collins includes 72 matches, NWL2023 includes 62, and ENABLE includes 59. The 73-word total is not a promise that every game accepts every entry; uncommon forms make up much of the set, so check your game's word list before relying on a rare play.