5-letter words with P as the 2nd letter and L as the 4th letter

Only 16 matches fill the _ P L _ shape, and seven of them are Wordle answers. Apple, apply, spell, spill, spelt and aptly are the familiar ones, while spald, speld and spule sit at the rare end. Six entries count as common words, so the answer list and the everyday list overlap heavily here.

The _PL_ pattern in numbers

• Only 16 matches fit P second with L fourth.
• Seven are Wordle answers, a 44% share of a very small list.
• S opens 12 of the 16, A opens three and O just one.
• Apply leads the scores at 12, then spelk at 11 and aptly at 10.
• Collins holds all 16, while NWL2023 and ENABLE keep 11 each.

The highest Wordle hit rate of any P shape

Seven of the 16 matches are Wordle answers, the strongest answer ratio in this family. Spell, spelt, spill, spilt, apple, apply and aptly are the seven, and every one is a word most solvers already know.

That overlap cuts both ways. Because the everyday list and the answer list nearly coincide, the pattern is easy to guess but weak for elimination, since there are few wrong answers to rule out.

5-letter words with P as the 2nd letter and L as the 4th letter

S opens 12 of the 16 matches, and most of them belong to the -ELL and -ILL families: spell, spelt, speld, spelk, spill and spilt. All six share the same SP and final-L frame, which is why the group reads as one word family rather than a mix.

Apply and apple, the two scoring leaders, break that run with an AP opening and a doubled P. Rare matches such as spule and opals sit outside both groups, which is why a grid showing SP and L usually solves itself, leaving little room for a surprise.