5-letter words with I as the 1st letter and M as the 2nd letter

Every match opens with the letters IM, so the pattern is really a hunt through the third, fourth, and fifth tiles. Four matches are Wordle answers: IMAGE, IMBUE, IMPEL, and IMPLY. Scores run modest until IMMIX, which reaches 16 points on the strength of a single X.

Four answers in 24 words

• 24 tournament-dictionary words open with the letters IM.
• IMP starts six matches, IMI and IMA five each, and IMB and IMM three each.
• IMAGE, IMBUE, IMPEL, and IMPLY are Wordle answers; all 24 are allowed guesses.
• IMMIX tops the scores at 16 points; the set average is 9.4.
• IMB offers IMBUE, IMBED, and IMBAR, while IMS offers IMSHI and IMSHY.
• Collins lists 23 matches, NWL2023 lists 17, and ENABLE lists 16.

The IMP- and IMA- clusters

IMP is the busiest cluster with six matches: IMPLY, IMPEL, IMPRO, IMPIS, IMPED, and IMPOT. IMAGE, IMAMS, IMAGO, IMARI, and IMAUM make up the IMA group, while IMI adds IMINE, IMIDE, IMINO, IMIDO, and IMIDS.

The first tile never changes, so a Wordle guess from this pattern has to attack the middle and the end. Testing M in the second slot teaches you nothing; the useful probes sit in the third and fourth positions.

5-letter words with I as the 1st letter and M as the 2nd letter

For 5-letter words with I as the 1st letter and M as the 2nd letter, IMMIX stands alone at 16 points because X is worth 8. IMSHY follows at 13, and IMPLY and IMMEW reach 12, so the gap between first and second is unusually wide.

Dictionary coverage is uneven despite the familiar answers. Collins carries 23 matches, NWL2023 carries 17, and ENABLE carries 16. ENABLE therefore omits eight words, including IMMIX and IMSHY, that a Collins player can still use at the board.