5-letter words with L as the 4th letter and Y as the 5th letter

The pattern _ _ _ L Y covers more than just adverbs: reply, rally, belly, and bully fit too. Of the 131 tournament-dictionary entries, 41 rank among common English words, so familiar guesses sit alongside obscure plays. The list also overlaps with the Wordle answer list, making it relevant for both clue-solving and word games.

What stands out in the L-Y pattern?

• There are 131 five-letter words with L in position four and Y at the end.
• The pattern has 56 Wordle answers and 130 allowed guesses.
• Only 41 entries are among the top 25,000 English words by frequency.
• D and S lead as first letters, with 15 words each.
• JOWLY tops the scoring list at 18 points; the average score is 10.3.

How many 5-letter words with L fourth and Y last are common?

Just 41 of the 131 entries count as common, so recognizable words are a useful place to start. Try early, daily, fully, truly, or reply when those letters fit your board. Apply and imply offer another familiar pair with the same ending.

D and S tie for the most common starting letter in this pattern, at 15 words apiece. G follows with 11, then F with 10. That spread makes a D- or S-start a sensible first check when your first tile is still unknown.

The final Y matters: with L fixed fourth, 242 five-letter words end in S instead, compared with 131 ending in Y. Don’t assume that changing only the last tile leaves the candidate pool unchanged.

Which L-fourth, Y-last words score most?

For 5-letter words with L fourth and Y last, JOWLY is the standout Scrabble scorer at 18 points. JELLY, JOLLY, LAXLY, and JEELY each score 15; SHYLY, WRYLY, and FEYLY follow at 14. The J words are strong plays, but only when the board gives you a place to use them.

The counts combine entries from ENABLE, Collins, and NWL2023, and the dictionaries do not contain identical sets. Some less familiar options may not work in your game, so check its word list before building a play around one.