5-letter words with P as the 1st letter and H as the 4th letter

This pattern locks in P at the start and H in the fourth slot, leaving only the second, third, and final letters open. The results range from familiar words such as PATHS and PUSHY to unusual entries such as PHPHT. Only two matches fall within the common-word frequency group, so the pattern is much broader in word-game dictionaries than in everyday use.

At a glance the P–H pattern

• The fixed pattern is P _ _ H _, with 15 tournament-dictionary matches.
• PATHS and PUSHY are recognizable options; PHPHT is the highest scorer at 15 points.
• Six matches end in S, making it the most frequent final letter for this pattern.
• Collins includes all 15 matches, compared with 11 in NWL2023 and 10 in ENABLE.

How unusual is this P-and-H letter pattern?

Only 15 words fit P in the first position and H in the fourth. That is fewer than the corresponding H-fourth patterns beginning with M, which has 26 matches, or S, which has 22. The narrow pool makes each confirmed candidate matter when you have both letters fixed.

The endings are uneven: S closes six matches, while A, T, and Y each close two. PATHS, PASHA, and PUSHY show how different the remaining letters can look despite sharing the same two fixed positions. Do not assume every solution ends in S just because it leads the group.

Which matches score well, and what about Wordle?

PHPHT tops the score list at 15 points; PUSHY, PITHY, and PHOHS each score 13. The odd-looking PHPHT is a reminder that letter-pattern puzzles and score hunts reward different instincts: a high-value spelling may be far less familiar than PATHS.

Two matches appear in the Wordle answer list, and 14 are allowed guesses. The answer identities are not specified, so use the pattern to narrow candidates rather than treating every allowed guess as a possible answer.

Familiarity is the main limitation: only two matches meet the common-word frequency cutoff. Check your game's word list before playing an obscure candidate.