5-letter words with M as the 1st letter and D as the 4th letter

Lock M into the opening tile and D into the fourth, and only three spaces remain uncertain. That arrangement produces 21 tournament-dictionary entries; minds, moods, and maids are familiar examples, while monde and muids are less likely to spring to mind. Only 6 entries rank among the top 25,000 English words by frequency.

The pattern in a few numbers

• Collins accepts 21 matches; the NWL2023 list has 18 and ENABLE has 17.
• Only 6 of these entries rank within the top 25,000 English words by frequency.
• The final S appears 11 times; Y closes 5 words, while E and O each close 2.
• Muddy and middy score 12 points; moody, moldy, and mardy each score 11.
• Three entries are Wordle answers, and all 21 are allowed guesses.

Which letters finish the M-and-D words?

An S ending dominates: it belongs to 11 words, including minds, moods, maids, molds, and mends. Y is the runner-up, appearing on muddy, moody, moldy, and two other matches. The remaining endings are sparse: E and O appear twice apiece, and I appears once.

That distribution makes the last tile a strong clue. If it is S, more than half the matches remain possible; if it is I, only one candidate fits. The same fourth-position D pattern has 55 S-first words; changing the fourth letter to E while keeping M first raises the count to 125.

5-letter words with M first and D fourth: top scores

Muddy and middy share the top score at 12 points. A step below, moody, moldy, and mardy each reach 11; minds, moods, maids, and molds score 8. These figures give a quick way to compare candidates before accounting for any board bonuses.

Minds and moods are more familiar to many players than monde or muids, but familiarity is not a reliable test of acceptance. Collins has the full set of 21, whereas NWL2023 has 18 and ENABLE has 17. For an unfamiliar play, check the dictionary used by your game rather than assuming every list agrees.