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

The pattern is _ _ S _ A: S is fixed in the middle, and A closes every match. Only six words here rank among common English vocabulary, so start with recognizable options like PASTA, VISTA, and TESLA before testing less familiar entries. Two matches also appear in the Wordle answer set.

At a glance: what fits _ _ S _ A?

• All 29 matches put S third and A fifth.
• Only six entries are common in English frequency rankings.
• M is the most frequent first letter; P and V follow.
• KASHA leads the scoring list at 12 points.
• Two matching words are Wordle answers.
• Twenty-three of the 29 matches carry definitions, and the average tile score is 7.8 points.

Which 5-letter words have S third and A fifth?

PASTA, VISTA, and TESLA are easy matches to spot because they are familiar words with distinct openings. COSTA offers another recognizable option, while VESPA shares the V start with VISTA but changes the middle letters.

The less familiar end of the list includes KASHA, FOSSA, and DOSHA. KASHA is the top scorer at 12 points, ahead of PASKA and WISHA, each at 11. A strong scoring play is not always the easiest word to recall, so keep familiar options in mind too.

The pattern has fewer matches than its N-third, A-fifth sibling, which has 74. Changing the third letter can therefore open up many more possibilities while keeping the final A fixed.

How should you use this letter pattern?

• For a word puzzle, test common choices such as PASTA, VISTA, and TESLA first.
• For a score-focused play, check KASHA before choosing a familiar lower-scoring word.
• For Wordle, only two entries are answers; the remaining matches are not answer-list solutions.