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

That fixed middle pair leaves the first and last letters to narrow your search. L is the most common starting letter, appearing in 18 matches; S is the most common ending, with 24. Familiar options include TIMES, LIMIT, TIMER, and TIMED, while JIMMY stands out for a very different reason: its Scrabble score.

At a glance: the I-M pattern

• The pattern contains 71 five-letter words in tournament dictionaries.
• TIMES, LIMIT, and JIMMY are recognizable examples.
• L leads the first-letter count with 18 words.
• S leads the final-letter count with 24 words.
• Seven matches are Wordle answers.

Which letters begin and end these words?

L is the strongest opening choice for this pattern: 18 matches begin with L, including LIMIT, LIMBS, LIMBO, LIMOS, and LIMES. T is next with 7, represented by TIMES, TIMER, TIMED, and TIMID. M and S each start 6 words.

S dominates at the other end. The 24 words ending in S include TIMES, LIMBS, DIMES, and MIMES. Y is a distant second with 8, including JIMMY and WIMPY, so a confirmed final S is a sharp clue while a final Y still leaves several familiar candidates.

Other final letters trail those leaders: R closes 7 matches, while D and O close 6 each.

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

JIMMY and JIMPY top the Scrabble scores at 19 points apiece before board bonuses. ZIMBI and ZIMBS score 18, while CIMEX reaches 16. For a more familiar play, WIMPY scores 15; TIMES is a much lower-scoring everyday option.

Collins includes all 71 matches, compared with 53 in NWL2023 and 52 in ENABLE; seven matches also appear among Wordle answers. The 11 common words make up only part of the pattern, so a match is not automatically familiar or playable in every game. Check your game's word list before placing an obscure entry.