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5-letter words with D as the 1st letter and K as the 3rd letter

Sixteen 5-letter words fix D as the first letter and K as the third, and every one grows from a DUKE, DIKE or DEKE stem.

16 wordsTop pick DUKESHighest score DEKKO 14

1 of 16 are everyday words (6%). Mostly rare words: great for Scrabble, tough for daily puzzles.

With D in 1st place, R is the most common 3rd letter (71 words). The bar under each letter shows the size of its list.

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Best words to play first 16 · most-used first

  • DUKES10
  • DIKES10
  • DUKAS10
  • DUKED11
  • DIKER10
  • DEKES10
  • DEKKO14
  • DIKED11
  • DEKED11
  • DUKKA14
  • DIKEY13
  • DAKER10
  • DIKAS10

Showing the top 13 of 16 words. See every valid word

All valid words 16

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

  • DAKER10
  • DEKED11
  • DEKES10
  • DEKKO14
  • DIKAS10
  • DIKED11
  • DIKER10
  • DIKES10
  • DIKEY13
  • DUKAS10
  • DUKED11
  • DUKES10
  • DUKKA14
  • DYKED14
  • DYKES13
  • DYKEY16
Letters by positionIn 75% of these words the 4th letter is E.
2nd letter
  1. I31%
  2. U25%
  3. E19%
4th letter
  1. E75%
  2. K13%
  3. A13%
5th letter
  1. S38%
  2. D25%
  3. R13%

Highest-scoring words

Scrabble and Words With Friends points, before board bonuses
WordScrabbleWords With FriendsDictionaries
DEKKO1414All three
DUKKA1415Collins · NWL
DIKEY1312ENABLE · Collins
DUKED1112All three
DIKED1111All three
DEKED1111All three
DUKES1011All three
DIKES1010All three
DUKAS1011Collins only
DIKER1010All three
DEKES1010All three
DAKER1010Collins only

K is the whole story here: the third slot is always K, worth 5 points, and the words fan out from three vowel stems, DIKE, DUKE and DEKE. That gives a high average of 11.7 points, and two entries, DEKKO and DUKKA, double the K to reach 14. Only DUKES is a common word.

Facts about the D-first, K-third set

  • Sixteen matches, all with K locked in the third slot.
  • Collins lists all 16, NWL2023 11 and ENABLE 12.
  • DEKKO and DUKKA share the top score of 14.
  • The average score is 11.7, the highest of this letter pattern.
  • DUKES is the only common word; just 12 of the 16 are defined.

Why everything comes from DIKE, DUKE or DEKE

The stem does the work. DIKE supplies DIKES, DIKED, DIKER and DIKEY, DUKE supplies DUKES, DUKED, DUKAS and DUKKA, and DEKE gives DEKES, DEKED and DEKKO. Add an ending and the frame is complete.

Because K already sits third, the last letter is free to be S, D, R, Y, A or O. That flexibility is what turns three short stems into sixteen separate words with no overlap in meaning.

How the scores add up

DEKKO and DUKKA lead at 14 points, each doubling the K. DIKEY follows at 13, and DUKED, DIKED and DEKED tie at 11. DUKES, DIKES, DUKAS and DIKER round out the top ten on 10.

Two K tiles are worth 10 points before anything else, which is why the doubled forms win. Even the base words clear 10, so this pattern rewards a board where K can sit cleanly.

The dictionary split

Note

NWL2023 carries 11 of the 16 and ENABLE 12, so a few matches are Collins-only. Check your game's word list before you play an unusual form such as DUKKA or DIKEY.

Questions people ask

How many 5-letter words have D first and K third?
Sixteen words match the pattern. Collins lists all 16, ENABLE has 12 and NWL2023 has 11, so a handful may be missing from the list your game uses.
Which D-first, K-third words score the most?
DEKKO and DUKKA tie for the top score at 14 points, each doubling the K. DIKEY is next at 13, and DUKED, DIKED and DEKED all score 11.
Are these D-first, K-third words common in everyday usage?
Only DUKES is a common word, and just 12 of the 16 carry a definition. DIKE and DUKE are familiar stems, but most derived forms are uncommon outside word games.

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