5-letter words with B as the 1st letter and E as the 3rd letter

A middle E is uncommon for B words, since only 49 matches survive against 100 for A. Almost all start BL, BR or BE, with BREAK, BREAD, BREED and BRENT beside BLEND, BLEED, BLESS and BLEAK. Eleven answers sit on the Wordle list and ten matches count as common.

Inside the 49 B first, E third words

• 49 B-words hold an E in the third slot.
• BL supplies 15 of them, BR 19 and BE 8 more.
• Wordle answers number 11 and common words 10.
• BEEFY tops the scores at 13; BEECH and BLECH reach 12.
• S ends 21 matches, D 6 and T 5.

Which B first, E third words are Wordle answers?

Eleven match: BEECH, BEEFY, BLEAK, BLEAT, BLEED, BLEEP, BLEND, BLESS, BREAD, BREAK and BREED. BEECH and BEEFY share a doubled E, while BLEAT, BLEED and BLEEP keep a single syllable.

Common words run past the answer list here. BEERS and BRENT both rank as common yet cannot be Wordle's solution. That leaves the eleven answers to carry a grid that already shows a B and an E.

BLEND is the only answer ending in -END, and BLESS the only one ending in -ESS.

How to attack a B-E grid

1. Filter on the ending: 21 words close in S, 6 in D and 5 in T.
2. Then read the second tile, because BL and BR hold 34 of the 49 between them.
3. Save BEEFY and BEECH for a turn when points matter.

The ceiling is 13 points

BEEFY leads at 13, with BEECH and BLECH on 12. Eight matches repeat a tile, all in the BEE- group, which pads the score without a J, Q, X or Z. BREAK and BLEAK reach 11 on their K.

Dictionary spread caps this list. Collins lists 48 of the 49, while NWL2023 keeps 33 and ENABLE 30, so 16 matches need Collins. Rare forms such as BHELS and BLEES sit in that group.