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5-letter words with R as the 4th letter and K as the 5th letter

17 5-letter words with R as the 4th letter and K as the 5th letter fit this pattern, including SHARK, STARK, and QUIRK.

17 wordsTop pick SHARKHighest score QUIRK 18

5 of 17 are everyday words (29%). A mix of familiar words and game-only finds.

With R in 4th place, S is the most common 5th letter (166 words). The bar under each letter shows the size of its list.

  • Length
  • 5
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Best words to play first 17 · most-used first

All valid words 17

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

Letters by positionIn 59% of these words the 1st letter is S.
1st letter
  1. S59%
  2. C18%
  3. Q12%
2nd letter
  1. H24%
  2. T18%
  3. U12%
3rd letter
  1. A35%
  2. I29%
  3. E18%

Highest-scoring words

Scrabble and Words With Friends points, before board bonuses
WordScrabbleWords With FriendsDictionaries
QUIRK1819All three
QUARK1819All three
CHIRK1414All three
CHARK1414All three
SHARK1211All three
SHIRK1211All three
TWERK1212NWL only
AWORK1212Collins only
CLERK1113All three
SPARK1112All three
SMIRK1112All three
SPORK1112NWL only

The fixed ending leaves a short, mixed set: familiar choices such as CLERK and SPARK sit beside less common entries like CHIRK and STIRK. Ten of the 17 words begin with S, so that first letter is the strongest starting point when your other clues are still open. Just five entries rank among the commonest English words.

At a glance: the R-K pattern

  • 17 tournament-dictionary words have R in position four and K in position five.
  • SHARK, STARK, CLERK, SPARK, and QUIRK are recognizable examples.
  • S leads the set with 10 words; C has 3 and Q has 2.
  • Just 5 entries are common by frequency, so expect obscure possibilities.
  • QUIRK and QUARK top the listed Scrabble scores at 18 points each.

Which 5-letter words have R fourth and K fifth?

The full set includes SHARK, STARK, CLERK, SPARK, QUIRK, QUARK, SMIRK, STORK, SHIRK, SNARK, TWERK, SPORK, CHIRK, STIRK, CHARK, AWORK, and SMERK. For a Wordle clue, 9 are answers and all 17 are allowed guesses, so the answer pool is notably smaller than the playable set.

Try S first if the opening letters remain unknown: its 10 options outnumber every other initial. C gives 3 candidates, Q gives 2, while A and T each contribute one. That distribution makes a broad S guess tempting, but a confirmed first letter can quickly narrow the possibilities.

Which R-K words score highest, and what should you watch?

QUIRK and QUARK each score 18 points in Scrabble, four points ahead of CHIRK and CHARK at 14. The Q words are the scoring standouts, while familiar SHARK and SHIRK score 12 apiece. The average score across the set is 11.9, making those high-Q plays clear exceptions rather than typical values.

Dictionary coverage differs: NWL2023 has 16 entries, Collins has 15, and ENABLE has 14. Those counts overlap, so they should not be added together; check your game's word list before playing an unfamiliar option. Five common words means this clue has a real limitation: the full set contains several rare entries, not just everyday vocabulary.

Questions people ask

How many five-letter words end in RK with R fourth?
There are 17 tournament-dictionary words with R fourth and K fifth. SHARK, STARK, and CLERK are familiar examples, while CHIRK and STIRK are less common options. The set includes words beginning with five different letters, though S accounts for 10 entries.
Are all 17 R-K words valid Wordle answers?
No. The pattern has 9 Wordle answers, while all 17 entries are allowed guesses. That distinction matters when solving: a word accepted as a guess is not necessarily in the answer pool. The available facts do not identify which individual words are answers.
Which word with R fourth and K fifth scores the most?
QUIRK and QUARK tie for the highest listed Scrabble score at 18 points each. CHIRK and CHARK follow at 14 points. The Q words stand out because the set's average score is 11.9, well below their individual totals.

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