5-letter words with T as the 2nd letter and L as the 4th letter

Lock T into the second square and L into the fourth, leaving three positions to solve. The familiar options include STILL, STYLE, STALE, and STALK, but the full group also contains less common entries such as STILB and STULM. Most start with S, so a known first letter narrows the search quickly; endings vary much more.

What stands out in this letter pattern

• The pattern has 21 words across the tournament dictionaries counted here.
• Seventeen begin with S; only two begin with A, while E and U each start one.
• Six entries rank among the commonest English words, including STILL and STYLE.
• Nine matching words are in the Wordle answer list and tournament dictionaries.

Which familiar words fit the pattern?

Start with the everyday S-words: STILL, STYLE, STOLE, STALL, STALK, and STALE. They share the fixed T and L, but their final letters differ. That variety matters in a puzzle: a confirmed final E points toward STYLE or STALE, while a final K leaves STALK.

The endings are led by E, with seven words ending in that letter; L is next with five. This makes E a strong finishing guess when the board supports it, but it does not identify one answer on its own. ATOLL is a useful counterexample to the dominant S-start: its repeated Ls give the pattern a different look.

How do dictionary coverage and scores compare?

Collins contains all 21 matches, while ENABLE and NWL2023 each include 15. The gap matters if you are playing a North American word game: Collins-only entries will not carry over. STILB, STULM, and STOLN are among the less familiar forms, so check your game's word list before relying on an obscure candidate.

For 5-letter words with T as the 2nd letter and L as the 4th letter, STALK leads the score ranking at 9 points. STYLE, STYLO, and STYLI each score 8; the familiar STILL, STOLE, STALL, and STALE score 5 apiece. The top score is not necessarily the best puzzle guess: use known letters first, then consider points.