5-letter words with N as the 1st letter and S as the 5th letter

The fixed N…S pattern gives you 116 tournament-dictionary words, but only 15 fall among the top 25,000 English words by frequency. Familiar options such as NAMES, NAILS, and NOSES sit alongside less common entries; none appears in the Wordle answer list, though all 116 are allowed guesses. For a practical shortlist, start with the words you recognize, then check your game’s dictionary.

What stands out in the N…S pattern?

• There are 116 five-letter matches with N first and S last across the tournament dictionaries.
• NEEDS, NAMES, NOTES, NAILS, and NEXUS are recognizable examples to scan for first.
• Only 15 matches rank among the top 25,000 English words by frequency, so many entries are uncommon.
• The alternative N…Y pattern has 42 matches, while N…E has 32.

Which games accept these N…S words?

The dictionary totals differ: Collins includes 113 matches, NWL2023 includes 88, and ENABLE includes 76. Those counts overlap, so adding them would overstate the number of distinct words. NEXUS, NOTES, and NEEDS are solid familiar starting points, but less common entries deserve a rule-list check before you play.

No matching word is a Wordle answer, even though all 116 are allowed guesses. That makes this pattern a poor shortcut for solving by answer frequency; use it when your known letters lock N into the first spot and S into the last. The 87 entries with definitions offer a further check when an unfamiliar word appears.

Which N…S words score the most?

NAZES scores 14 points on the listed tile values, the top score for this pattern. NEXUS, NIXES, NEXTS, and NOXES each score 12; NECKS and NICKS score 11. Those are base word scores, before any board bonuses, so a premium square can change the result.

The letter pairing is selective: the matching S-first, S-last pattern has 393 words, far more than these 116. For another N-first clue, the fifth-letter-Y pattern has 42 matches; the six-letter N-first, S-fifth pattern has 14. Compare the N-first, R-last pattern when the final letter is still open, or check the six-letter version before committing.