5-letter words with D as the 1st letter and W as the 3rd letter
Twenty-nine 5-letter words set D first and W third, and nearly all are DOW- or DAW- forms such as DOWRY, DOWNY and DAWNS.
2 of 29 are everyday words (7%). 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.
Best words to play first
- DOWNS9
- DOWRY12
- DEWAR9
- DAWNS9
- DOWNY12
- DEWAN9
- DOWER9
- DOWDY13
- DOWEL9
- DIWAN9
- DOWIE9
- DAWAH12
- DOWSE9
- DOWDS10
- DOWNA9
- DAWEN9
- DOWLE9
- DEWED10
- DAWDS10
- DAWED10
- DAWKS13
- DAWTS9
- DEWAX16
- DOWAR9
- DOWED10
- DOWLS9
- DOWLY12
- DOWPS11
- DOWTS9
All valid words 29
- DAWAH12
- DAWDS10
- DAWED10
- DAWEN9
- DAWKS13
- DAWNS9
- DAWTS9
- DEWAN9
- DEWAR9
- DEWAX16
- DEWED10
- DIWAN9
- DOWAR9
- DOWDS10
- DOWDY13
- DOWED10
- DOWEL9
- DOWER9
- DOWIE9
- DOWLE9
- DOWLS9
- DOWLY12
- DOWNA9
- DOWNS9
- DOWNY12
- DOWPS11
- DOWRY12
- DOWSE9
- DOWTS9
Highest-scoring words
| Word | Scrabble | Words With Friends | Dictionaries |
|---|---|---|---|
| DEWAX | 16 | 16 | All three |
| DOWDY | 13 | 12 | All three |
| DAWKS | 13 | 13 | All three |
| DOWRY | 12 | 11 | All three |
| DOWNY | 12 | 12 | All three |
| DAWAH | 12 | 11 | Collins only |
| DOWLY | 12 | 12 | Collins only |
| DOWPS | 11 | 12 | Collins only |
| DOWDS | 10 | 10 | Collins only |
| DEWED | 10 | 10 | All three |
| DAWED | 10 | 10 | All three |
| DOWED | 10 | 10 | All three |
W in the third slot shapes the whole list. DOWRY, DOWNY, DOWER, DOWEL and DOWDY share a DOW- opening, and DAWNS, DAWKS and DAWDS echo it with A. The average score is a strong 10.2, helped by W at 4 points, and four entries are Wordle answers.
The D-first, W-third set in numbers
- Twenty-nine matches carry W as the third letter.
- Collins lists all 29, and NWL2023 and ENABLE both list 19.
- Four are Wordle answers: DOWDY, DOWEL, DOWNY and DOWRY.
- DEWAX tops the score table at 16, ahead of DOWDY and DAWKS on 13.
- Two matches are common words, and 24 of the 29 have a definition.
- DOW- starts most of the list, so it is the safest opening guess.
Why DOW- dominates the pattern
The D-O-W sequence is the spine of the list. DOWNS, DOWRY, DOWNY, DOWER, DOWDY, DOWEL, DOWIE, DOWSE and DOWLE all reuse it, leaving only the final letter to change.
Shifting the vowel to A or E widens the group, as DAWNS, DAWKS, DAWDS, DEWAX and DEWED join in. That single change of vowel is what keeps the list varied, and every Wordle answer here happens to begin with DOW.
How the scores get so high
DEWAX reaches 16 points because its X meets a W. DOWDY and DAWKS climb to 13, and DOWRY, DOWNY, DAWAH and DOWLY all reach 12. DOWPS follows on 11, with DOWDS and DEWED on 10.
W is worth 4 points on its own, so almost every entry starts with a solid base. The 10.2 average reflects that steady lift rather than one lucky word.
A quick dictionary check
NWL2023 and ENABLE each hold 19 of the 29, so ten matches are Collins-only. Check your game's word list before you play a form such as DAWAH or DOWLE.
Questions people ask
How many 5-letter words have D first and W third?
Which D-first, W-third words are Wordle answers?
Which word in the list scores highest?
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