5-letter words with I as the 2nd letter and K as the 3rd letter

The pattern is _IK__, with the first and last tiles still open. Familiar options include LIKED, LIKES, BIKES, and YIKES, but those everyday-looking forms are a small slice: only 6 entries rank among the top 25,000 English words by frequency. Treat the opening and ending as useful filters, not proof that every match will be familiar.

The _IK__ pattern at a glance

• There are 48 five-letter matches across the tournament dictionaries counted here.
• Final S is the most frequent ending, with 18 matches; D follows with 9.
• P starts 8 matches, more than any other first letter.
• MIKVA scores 14 points, the highest score shown for this pattern.
• Collins lists 45 matches, NWL2023 lists 33, and ENABLE lists 30; those totals overlap.

Which letters fill the open ends?

Start with P when the first tile is unknown: it opens 8 words. D and L each begin 5, while B, H, M, and T each begin 4. PIKES and PIKER illustrate the leading group; LIKED and LIKES show the L options.

The final tile narrows the search further. S closes 18 matches, D closes 9, and R closes 6. If your clue suggests a plural or verb form, BIKES and HIKES are candidates; HIKED and LIKED fit a final D.

How to use the I-K pattern in a game

Lock in the positions before testing words: I belongs in slot two and K in slot three. Then use the open ends to check LIKED, BIKES, or PIKER against your clues. A different third letter changes the pool sharply; the pattern with I second and N third has 207 matches.

For a scoring play, MIKVA leads at 14 points; HIKED and TIKKA each score 13. These are tile scores, so the board can change the result. Only 6 matches rank among the 25,000 most common English words.

One match is a Wordle answer and all 48 are allowed guesses, but a valid guess is not automatically an answer. Check your game's word list before playing an unfamiliar entry.