5-letter words with E as the 2nd letter and B as the 5th letter

E never leaves the second slot and B closes every one of these twelve words, so this is about as tight as a five-letter pattern gets. Only seven entries carry a definition, and the group turns obscure fast once you pass REHAB, KEBAB and CELEB. No word ends in S here, because each match already spends its last tile on B.

What the twelve E-second, B-final words share

• All 12 matches end in B, and E holds the second slot in every one.
• REHAB is the only match inside the top 25,000 English words by frequency.
• Collins carries all 12; NWL2023 and ENABLE each carry only 6.
• The six shared by both North American lists are CELEB, DEMOB, KEBAB, KEBOB, REDUB and REHAB.
• Average Scrabble value is 11.8, led by ZEBUB at 18 and HEJAB at 17.

Which of these words are Wordle answers?

REHAB and KEBAB have both been Wordle solutions, and they double as the two entries most players already recognise. The remaining ten, from ZEBUB and HEJAB down to CELEB and DEMOB, have never been answers.

All 12 are accepted guesses, which creates an odd corner of the game: you can legally type a word that has no chance of winning. When a clue confirms B in the last slot, the six words shared by NWL2023 and ENABLE are the ones worth weighing first.

Where the biggest Scrabble scores sit

ZEBUB reaches 18 points and HEJAB 17, the two best plays in the group; each leans on a J or Z that the fixed E and B leave untouched. KEBAB and KEBOB land on 13 apiece, and WEAMB brings 12.

That 11.8 average is high for a five-letter pattern, since B itself is worth only 3 points and the real value hides in the first three letters. Reach for JELAB or NEEMB when you need to shed awkward tiles without giving up much.

Play to the right dictionary