5-letter words with K as the 3rd letter and O as the 4th letter

The pattern fixes the middle two tiles as K-O, leaving the first, second, and final letters to narrow your search. The 16 matches include JOKOL, YAKOW, and PEKOE, but none ranks among the top 25,000 English words by frequency. Expect a word-game list weighted toward unfamiliar entries, not everyday guesses.

The pattern at a glance

• Exactly 16 tournament-dictionary words have K third and O fourth.
• JOKOL leads the Scrabble scores at 16 points; YAKOW follows at 15.
• Eight matches end in S, half of the full set.
• Only 11 matches have a definition entry, and zero count as common words.
• The average tile score is 10.9 before any board bonuses.

How do these K-O words vary?

The first letter is most often A, which begins three matches; M, S, and Y each begin two. B, E, H, and J each start one. That spread makes the opening tile a useful next filter once K-O is fixed.

The final letter is far less balanced: S appears eight times, while I appears three and L appears twice. PEKOE is the sole match ending in E, and YAKOW is the only one ending in W. If your last tile is S, start with MAKOS, BOKOS, or YUKOS.

Which matches score well, and where are they valid?

JOKOL scores 16 points, narrowly ahead of YAKOW at 15; KIKOI scores 13. YUKOS and HIKOI each score 12, while PEKOE, MAKOS, BOKOS, and MOKOS each score 11. The high values come from unusual letter combinations, so check the board before spending a strong tile.

All 16 appear in Collins, but only six also appear in ENABLE and NWL2023. The 16-word total is not a promise that every game accepts every entry; check your game's word list before challenging or committing an obscure play. For a broader search, compare other fixed-letter patterns or the full five-letter word collection.