5-letter words with M as the 3rd letter and S as the 5th letter

Every one of the 160 matches ends in S, which makes this the largest M pattern at five letters. TIMES, GAMES, HOMES and NAMES fill the common end, and 24 matches rank inside the top 25,000 English words. HUMUS is the only Wordle answer, and it stands alone as the sole -us spelling.

??M?S at a glance

• One hundred sixty matches end in S with M third.
• A vowel fills the second slot in 143 of them.
• Forty close in -ES and 37 in -MPS.
• Twenty-four matches are common English.
• HUMUS is the only Wordle answer.

Why this list is the biggest M pattern

Plurals and third-person verbs drive the size. Every match ends in S, and 40 of them put an E right before it, giving TIMES, GAMES, HOMES and NAMES. Another 37 close in -MPS, the CAMPS, LAMPS, JUMPS and BOMBS group, where the M already carries the blend.

The second slot is a vowel in 143 of the 160 matches, with A on 39, O on 32 and U on 30. The opening letter stays far more open: L starts 16 matches, C 14, and T and S 12 each, so a fixed ending does not narrow the front of the word much.

Scores and the lone Wordle answer

ZYMES leads at 19 and ZIMBS follows on 18, both lifted by a Z, while JUMPS and JAMBS reach 16 from a J. HUMUS is the only Wordle answer in all 160 matches, and it is also the only -us spelling, so the answer list barely overlaps the common words.

The Collins-only matches