5-letter words with I as the 2nd letter and O as the 4th letter

The pattern is _I_O_: positions two and four are fixed, while the first, third, and final letters vary. The dictionary-supported pool contains 79 words, but only seven are common by frequency. Familiar anchors include minor, pilot, widow, pivot, bison, and vigor; many other entries are less familiar, so a plausible-looking pattern does not guarantee an everyday word.

At a glance: the I-and-O pattern

• Exactly 79 dictionary-supported words match the _I_O_ pattern.
• Only 7 are common; minor, pilot, and widow are familiar starting points.
• Nine matches are Wordle answers, while 77 are allowed guesses.
• Collins accepts 78 matches, compared with 56 in NWL2023 and 49 in ENABLE.
• 33 entries end in S; P leads the first-letter count with 10, just ahead of B at 9.

Which letters and scores stand out?

Start with recognizable anchors: minor, pilot, widow, pivot, and bison. These show how much the first, third, and fifth positions can change while I and O stay fixed. Vigor and rigor share an ending, while visor and silos show other familiar shapes.

Endings are lopsided: 33 entries finish in S, compared with 12 in N and 11 in T. P is the most common opening, with 10 words; B follows at 9, then M at 8. In a puzzle, test a likely final S before spending guesses on a less common opening.

For scoring, VIZOR leads at 17 points, ahead of BIJOU at 14 and KIKOI and JIGOT at 13. VIZOR's Z drives its high tile total, so look for a placement that puts the word on a premium square.

How should you use this pattern in Wordle?

The 5-letter words with I as the 2nd letter and O as the 4th letter include nine answer matches, making the pattern a narrow candidate pool rather than a guaranteed solution. There are also 77 allowed guesses, many of which are not answers.

Keep I and O fixed, then test the first, third, and final slots. Only 7 entries are common, so some accepted words will feel obscure; check your game's word list before using a tournament-only option.