5-letter words with N as the 2nd letter and R as the 5th letter

With N fixed in slot two and R at the end, the set has 19 tournament-dictionary words. UNDER, ENTER, INNER, and ANGER are recognizable choices, but the pattern also admits less familiar entries such as ANKER and KNURR. Seven entries rank among common English words, so expect a mix rather than a list of everyday vocabulary.

At a glance: the N-R pattern

• The pattern yields 19 five-letter entries across the included tournament dictionaries.
• UNDER and ENTER are familiar examples; KNAUR and KNURR are less familiar.
• Only 7 entries fall in the common-word group.
• The first letters skew toward I, with 6 entries, and A, with 4; no other starting letter reaches that count.
• ANKER, INKER, KNAUR, and KNURR share the top score, at 9 points.

How many 5-letter words have N second and R fifth?

Exactly 19 five-letter words have N second and R fifth in the tournament lists. Eight of those words are Wordle answers, and all 19 are allowed guesses, so the answer pool is smaller than the full playable set.

The starting letters offer a useful way to sort the candidates: I leads with 6, followed by A with 4. E, K, and U each contribute 2, while G, O, and S appear once apiece. Try the familiar options first, then revisit the less common starts if your clues rule them out.

The contrast with A in the second position is sharp: that pattern has 147 matches ending in R, compared with 19 for N. A fixed final letter does not make each second-letter pattern equally productive.

Which matches score highest?

ANKER, INKER, KNAUR, and KNURR tie for the top score at 9 points each. INFER and INVAR score 8; INCUR, UNBAR, and ONCER score 7, while UNDER scores 6. The most familiar candidate is not the strongest scoring choice.

For 5-letter words with N second and R fifth, the top scores belong to less familiar entries, not the everyday examples. Collins includes all 19 matches, compared with 16 in NWL2023 and 15 in ENABLE. The dictionary totals differ, so check your game's word list before playing an unfamiliar word.

For a word puzzle, use the known positions first, then compare remaining starting letters against your clues. The eight answer matches are only a subset of the 19 guesses, so an allowed word does not automatically belong in the answer pool.