5-letter words with R as the 3rd letter and A as the 4th letter

The pattern is __RA_: the first two letters and final letter remain open. Just 15 matches fall into the common-word group, so familiar choices sit alongside specialist vocabulary. Wordle has 16 matching answers, giving this pattern a focused set of possible solutions as well as a larger pool of playable guesses.

At a glance: the __RA_ pattern

• 130 tournament-dictionary words match the fixed R-A positions.
• S is the most common starting letter, with 31 matches.
• A final S appears 23 times; final L follows with 22.
• HYRAX leads the scoring list at 18 points.

How many 5-letter words have R third and A fourth?

Familiar anchors include MORAL, RURAL, CORAL, STRAW, SPRAY, and STRAY. They show how freely the first two letters and final letter can change around RA. The strongest ending groups are S and L, with 23 and 22 words respectively, so a final-letter clue separates those candidates quickly.

Wordle has 16 accepted answers matching this pattern, compared with 129 allowed guesses. Those are separate pools: a playable guess can test the pattern without being a possible solution. Since R and A are fixed, choose guesses that probe fresh letters in slots one, two, and five.

The 15 common matches are a small slice of the 130-word set. MORAL, RURAL, VIRAL, CORAL, and MURAL are recognizable options; if those fail, consider less familiar endings rather than assuming R is misplaced.

Does the pattern pay off in Scrabble?

HYRAX scores 18 points before board bonuses, ahead of ZIRAM at 16. BORAX and JORAM each score 14. The counterintuitive part is that the biggest totals belong to less familiar words; MORAL and CORAL are easier to recognize, but they are not the scoring leaders.

Dictionary coverage varies: Collins includes 128 matches, NWL2023 has 83, and ENABLE has 75. A word accepted in one list may fail in another, so check your game's dictionary before committing to an uncommon play. The 5-letter words with R as the 3rd letter and A as the 4th letter include options across all three lists.