5-letter words with P as the 2nd letter and E as the 5th letter

The pattern fixes two positions: _P__E. SPACE, APPLE, SPARE, and SPIKE show how much room remains for different first and middle letters. The pool has a clear dictionary split: Collins includes all 32 words, while ENABLE and NWL2023 each include 23.

At a glance: the shape of the list

• All 32 words put P second and E last.
• S leads 22 entries; A leads 4, U leads 3, O leads 2, and E leads 1.
• SPACE, APPLE, SPOKE, SPARE, and SPITE are recognizable examples.
• Eleven entries rank among common English words, and 13 match Wordle answers.
• Collins has 32 entries; ENABLE and NWL2023 have 23 each.

5-letter words with P as 2nd and E as 5th

Thirteen Wordle answers match _P__E, and all 13 are also found in tournament dictionaries. The allowed-guess count is 32, so the pattern covers the full set of entries here; it does not mean every option is an answer.

The first letter narrows the search quickly: 22 of the 32 begin with S, making SP___ the dominant shape. SPACE, SPARE, SPIKE, SPICE, and SPINE are familiar examples, while APPLE and OPINE show that the second letter P does not require an S at the front.

For comparison, the same P-second, E-last pattern has 92 six-letter matches and 64 seven-letter matches. This five-letter group is much smaller, so keeping the length fixed matters when searching.

Which matching words score the most?

UPBYE is the top scorer at 12 points. SPOKE, SPIKE, and SPAKE each score 11, while SPYRE scores 10. The average across the pattern is 8.2, so the leader stands out from the typical entry.

For everyday plays, SPACE, APPLE, and SPICE each score 9 points. One limitation matters: Collins has nine more matching entries than either ENABLE or NWL2023, so a Collins-valid choice may not work in a North American game. Check your game's word list before playing an unfamiliar word.