5-letter words starting with Y

The Y list has 175 entries, yet only six appear in the Wordle answer set. One pattern dominates its endings: 84 words finish with S, while the next most common ending, D, appears in 16. Years, yours, yards and yells show why that S is so prominent, and ordinary choices such as young, youth and yeast still turn up among the rest.

Y words at a glance

• Collins holds 175 five-letter words beginning with Y, while ENABLE accepts 94 and NWL2023 114.
• Six entries are Wordle answers, but 180 of the words are legal guesses.
• S ends 84 of the words and D ends 16, a gap no other pair of endings matches.
• Yukky tops the scoring at 19 points, ahead of yucky, yuzus and yakka.
• Only X, Q, Z and I open fewer five-letter words than Y.

Why so many Y words end in S

S ends 84 of the 175 words, and D, the next most common finish, appears only 16 times. Years, yours, yards and yells show how routine that S is.

Fifteen words finish with Y, and A, E and N add 11 each. Swapping a guess from an S ending to one of those smaller groups is often what breaks a stubborn rack.

Only 6 words end in H, the rarest finish on the list, so an H in the final slot is a useful warning to slow down and check the word before you play it.

Everyday words to scan first

• Use young or youth as familiar checks for a Y opening.
• Compare years, yours and yards when a final S fits.
• Try yeast for a common word ending in T.
• Keep yield in view when a D ending is ruled out.

A small Wordle answer subset

Only 6 entries sit in the Wordle answer set, and just 13 of the 175 are common English words, so a Y opening is a narrow door. The wider list still serves allowed guesses and Scrabble, where the average score is 10.9.

Yacht, yahoo and yummy are more realistic mid-game guesses than the six answers when other letters are still open. The answer set is the first place to look once you know Y is in the word.

Y words with the top Scrabble scores