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

The pattern is _LA__, so a known first or final letter can narrow the search quickly. You’ll see everyday words such as plant and blame alongside less familiar options. Of the 167 matches, 53 rank among the top 25,000 English words by frequency, so the full set is broader than common vocabulary.

At a glance: endings, starters, and standout scores

• The pattern _LA__ matches 167 five-letter words across tournament dictionaries.
• Words beginning with B and C tie for the lead, with 28 matches each.
• Final S is the most frequent ending, appearing in 51 matches.
• GLAZY and FLAXY tie for the top Scrabble score at 18 points.
• The set includes 50 Wordle answers and 166 allowed guesses.

Which guesses fit the _LA__ pattern?

Fifty words in this pattern appear in the Wordle answer list, while 166 are allowed guesses. Start with familiar matches such as place, black, or glass when you need to test likely letters without losing the fixed L and A.

The final letter gives a useful next split: 51 matches end in S, while 28 end in E. If your board rules out those endings, try options such as black or plant instead of cycling through S and E candidates.

The first-letter counts also make the pattern’s shape less obvious: F contributes 27 words and S contributes 22, behind the B-and-C tie. A and E are much smaller starting groups, with 14 and 4 matches. When the opening tile is fixed, check those clusters before searching through endings.

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

For 5-letter words with L as the 2nd letter and A as the 3rd letter, GLAZY and FLAXY lead the Scrabble scoring examples at 18 points apiece. PLAZA scores 16, while BLAZE scores 16; those are stronger rack plays than familiar BLACK at 13.

Dictionary coverage varies: Collins contains 165 matches, NWL2023 has 132, and ENABLE has 126. The overall set includes words that are absent from some game lists, so check your game’s dictionary before relying on an unfamiliar entry.