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

The pattern is _LL__, and its small set has a striking shape: every word starts with a vowel. ALLOW, ALLEY, ALLOY, and ALLOT are the familiar picks; other entries include OLLIE and ILLER. Collins includes all 16 words, while ENABLE accepts 10 and NWL2023 accepts 11, so the playable set depends on your game.

At a glance: the _LL__ pattern

• There are 16 matches, and their first letters are A, O, or I.
• A starts 10 words; O starts four, and I starts two.
• Only four entries rank among the commonest English words: ALLOW, ALLEY, ALLOY, and ALLOT.
• ALLOW, ALLEY, ALLOY, ALLAY, ALLYL, ILLTH, and OLLAV each score 8 points.
• Twelve words have definitions available.

Which double-L words are easiest to recognize?

Start with ALLOW, ALLEY, ALLOY, and ALLOT: these are the four common entries, and each gives you a familiar route into the pattern. ALLAY is another recognizable choice. The rest of the list gets specialized quickly, with forms such as ALLIS, ALLEE, and ALLYL less likely to come to mind during a timed puzzle.

The opening letter narrows the search further: ten matches begin with A, four with O, and two with I; none start with a consonant. If your known letters show _LL__, test A first, then O. That search order follows the actual distribution, not a claim that every answer follows it.

Do 5-letter words with L as the 2nd and 3rd letters score well?

ALLOW, ALLEY, ALLOY, ALLAY, ALLYL, ILLTH, and OLLAV tie for the top score at 8 points. More familiar options do not score more: OLLIE and ALLOT each score 5. The average score across the group is 6.4, so the top-scoring words stand above the set's typical result.

For 5-letter words with L as the 2nd letter and L as the 3rd letter, Collins offers the broadest coverage: 16 entries, compared with 10 in ENABLE and 11 in NWL2023. Most entries are not common everyday vocabulary, so check your game's word list before relying on an obscure match.

Five matches are Wordle answers, and all five also appear in tournament dictionaries. With both L positions fixed, test the opening letter before spending guesses on obscure forms; the distribution favors A, then O, then I.