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

Fourteen entries fit the pattern _KA__, with SKATE and OKAPI among the easiest to recognize. Only SKATE ranks as common English vocabulary. Collins has all 14 words, while NWL2023 has nine and ENABLE has eight; check your game's word list before playing a less familiar candidate.

At a glance for the matching pattern

• Fourteen tournament-dictionary words put K second and A third.
• Nine begin with S; I and O begin two each, and U begins one.
• SKATE is the only entry counted among common English words.
• OKAYS and SKAWS lead the scores at 12 points; OKAPI scores 11.
• SKATE is the single dictionary-valid Wordle answer matching this pattern.

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

Fourteen tournament-dictionary words match _KA__, but the opening letter narrows the search quickly: nine start with S. Try SKATE or SKALD first if S is still available; OKAPI and OKAYS cover the O-starting pair, while UKASE is the sole U-starting entry. That S-heavy split means a confirmed first letter may do more work than the fixed middle pair.

SKATE stands apart from the less familiar candidates: it is the one common word and the matching Wordle answer. The words have varied endings: six finish in S, two each in E and T, and one apiece in D, I, K, and L. All 14 appear in Collins, compared with nine in NWL2023 and eight in ENABLE.

How to use this pattern in a word game

For 5-letter words with K as the 2nd letter and A as the 3rd letter, test SKATE before reaching for an obscure candidate: it is both the common entry and the sole matching Wordle answer. If S is ruled out, the remaining choices begin with I, O, or U, giving you a small set to check against revealed tiles.

For a tile game, OKAYS and SKAWS are the top base scorers at 12, while OKAPI reaches 11. Board premiums can change an actual play's value, and acceptance still depends on the dictionary used by your game. The pattern is a filter, not a reason to play a rejected word.