5-letter words with S as the 4th letter and O as the 5th letter

The pattern is _ _ _ S O, so every match ends in O and places S immediately before it. TORSO and LASSO are recognizable examples, but only one of the 22 matches is classed as common. That makes this a clue where checking the exact letter positions matters more than guessing from familiar words.

The pattern at a glance

• There are 22 tournament-dictionary matches with S fourth and O fifth.
• The first letters C and G tie for the lead, with 3 matches each; T has 2.
• The source counts are 20 in Collins, 17 in NWL2023, and 14 in ENABLE.
• Only 1 match is classed as common, while 3 are dictionary-valid Wordle answers.

Which examples are easiest to recognize?

TORSO and LASSO are familiar-looking examples in this pattern, while QUESO, VERSO, and BASSO show how varied the first three letters can be. The C and G starts each account for 3 matches, more than any other starting letter shown in the leading group.

Only 1 of the 22 words is classed as common, so many entries will be unfamiliar outside word games. The 22-match total combines overlapping dictionary entries; the individual counts are 20 in Collins, 17 in NWL2023, and 14 in ENABLE. Check your game's word list before relying on an unfamiliar form.

What scores well, and what fits Wordle?

QUESO is the top scorer at 14 points. WHOSO and HOWSO follow at 11 each, while KUSSO scores 9; the group’s average score is 7.6.

Three matches are dictionary-valid Wordle answers, and 21 are allowed guesses. Those figures are different: an allowed guess need not be an answer. The matching answers are not identified here, so use the pattern to narrow a puzzle rather than treating every match as a solution.

The narrow ending is the key constraint: once S and O are fixed in the final two positions, only 22 matches remain. For a broader search, compare other words with S fourth and a different final letter.