5-letter words with S as the 1st letter and K as the 3rd letter

The fixed pattern is S _ K _ _, so the third letter is locked while positions two, four, and five remain open. The set contains 18 tournament-dictionary entries, but only one ranks among the top 25,000 English words by frequency. That gap matters: a familiar-looking guess can still be a specialist play, not an everyday answer.

The pattern at a glance

• All 18 entries begin with S and place K in position three.
• SYKES, SOKAH, SUKHS, and SYKER tie for the top score at 12.
• Nine words end in S; SAKES and SIKES show that familiar-looking ending.
• Collins recognizes 17, NWL2023 recognizes 11, and ENABLE recognizes 8; the dictionaries overlap.

How many 5-letter words with S first and K third are there?

There are 18 five-letter words matching S _ K _ _. That is fewer than the 25 matching P _ K _ _ and the 20 matching T _ K _ _ in the same positions. The middle K sharply narrows the field: changing the third letter to I gives 187 matches.

The endings are lopsided. Nine finish in S, while R appears three times and I twice; A, H, L, and N each close one entry.

SAKES, SIKES, SAKIS, and SOKES show the S ending, while SAKER and SIKER end in R. Use the final letter as a second constraint instead of scanning every option.

Which S–K words score most?

SYKES, SOKAH, SUKHS, and SYKER each score 12 points, the highest listed value; SAKES and SAKAI score 9. The K does much of the scoring work, so save it for a letter multiplier when the board allows one.

No word in this pattern is a Wordle answer, although all 18 are recorded as allowed guesses. An accepted guess is not necessarily a possible solution. Scrabble coverage also differs: Collins has 17 matches, but NWL2023 has 11, so check your game's lexicon before relying on a less familiar entry.

For 5-letter words with S first and K third, SAKES and SIKES make recognizable pattern examples; SYKES and SOKAH stand out when score matters. Only one of the 18 entries is common by the frequency measure, so expect most options to feel unfamiliar.