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5-letter words with R as the 1st letter and W as the 3rd letter

There are 21 5-letter words with R as the 1st letter and W as the 3rd letter, and ROWDY and ROWER are the two Wordle answers.

21 wordsTop pick ROWANHighest score REWAX 15

3 of 21 are everyday words (14%). A mix of familiar words and game-only finds.

With R in 1st place, N is the most common 3rd letter (52 words). The bar under each letter shows the size of its list.

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Best words to play first 21 · most-used first

  • ROWAN8
  • ROWDY12
  • ROWER8
  • ROWED9
  • ROWEN8
  • RAWER8
  • RAWLY11
  • ROWEL8
  • REWED9
  • REWAN8
  • RAWIN8
  • REWET8
  • REWIN8
  • ROWTH11
  • RAWNS8
  • REWAX15
  • REWON8
  • REWTH11
  • ROWME10
  • ROWND9
  • ROWTS8
All valid words 21

A to Z. Includes rare and Collins-only words. Linked tiles open the word's meaning, score and rhymes.

  • RAWER8
  • RAWIN8
  • RAWLY11
  • RAWNS8
  • REWAN8
  • REWAX15
  • REWED9
  • REWET8
  • REWIN8
  • REWON8
  • REWTH11
  • ROWAN8
  • ROWDY12
  • ROWED9
  • ROWEL8
  • ROWEN8
  • ROWER8
  • ROWME10
  • ROWND9
  • ROWTH11
  • ROWTS8
Letters by positionIn 48% of these words the 2nd letter is O.
2nd letter
  1. O48%
  2. E33%
  3. A19%
4th letter
  1. E33%
  2. A14%
  3. T14%
5th letter
  1. N29%
  2. D14%
  3. R10%

Highest-scoring words

Scrabble and Words With Friends points, before board bonuses
Score spreadMost of these words score 8 in Scrabble; REWAX tops the list with 15. Scores before board bonuses.
  1. 88 points: 12 words
  2. 9 points: 3 words
  3. 1010 points: 1 words
  4. 11 points: 3 words
  5. 1212 points: 1 words
  6. 13 points: 0 words
  7. 1414 points: 0 words
  8. 15 points: 1 words
WordScrabbleWords With FriendsDictionaries
REWAX1515All three
ROWDY1211All three
RAWLY1111All three
ROWTH1110All three
REWTH1110Collins only
ROWME1011Collins only
ROWED99All three
REWED99All three
ROWND910Collins only
ROWAN89All three
ROWER88All three
ROWEN89All three

Only 21 dictionary-backed words put R in slot one and W in slot three, which makes this one of the tightest R patterns in five letters. The middle vowel does the sorting: 10 words use O, seven use E and four use A. Three of the 21 are common enough to play without a dictionary check, and two of those are Wordle answers.

How many 5-letter words put R first and W third?

  • The merged tournament lists contain 21 words.
  • Collins has all 21; ENABLE and NWL2023 have 16 apiece.
  • ROWAN, ROWDY and ROWER are the only common entries.
  • ROWDY and ROWER also appear on the Wordle answer list.
  • REWAX is the top scorer at 15 points.

The second letter splits the list into ROW, REW and RAW

Count the second letter and the pattern breaks into three families. Ten words are ROW- forms, from ROWAN and ROWDY to ROWEL and ROWND; seven are REW- forms such as REWED, REWET and REWAX; four are RAW- forms, including RAWER and RAWLY. No other vowel appears.

W is an awkward third letter because it forces a vowel into slot two and leaves only two free squares. That is why the whole set fits in 21 words while R-first lists with N or S third reach 52 and 46. Players who fix R and W early should expect a small candidate pool, not a broad sweep.

REWAX is the one premium play here

Tip

REWAX needs an X, so it is a niche play. In Wordle, both answers are ordinary words, so a green R and W already points you toward ROWDY or ROWER.

Questions people ask

How many 5-letter words have R first and W third?
There are 21 in the combined tournament dictionaries. Collins lists all 21, while ENABLE and NWL2023 list 16 each; check the smaller lists before you play an unfamiliar form such as ROWND or ROWME.
Which R-first, W-third words are Wordle answers?
ROWDY and ROWER are the two. ROWDY uses five different letters and ends in Y, while ROWER repeats R and ends in E, so the pair gives you two distinct patterns to test against a green R and W.
What is the best Scrabble word with R first and W third?
REWAX scores 15 points, the only entry above 12. Its X supplies 8 of those points, with R, E, W and A adding 7 more. ROWDY is next at 12, then RAWLY, ROWTH and REWTH at 11.

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