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

The pattern is _T_P_: T sits second, and P sits fourth. Eleven matches begin with S; the other three start with A or E. Collins accepts all 14, while ENABLE and NWL2023 each accept 11, and only two entries meet the common-word frequency threshold, so familiar choices like STEPS share space with less familiar ones such as STIPA and ETAPE.

At a glance: the _T_P_ pattern

• Fourteen tournament-dictionary entries fit _T_P_; 12 have dictionary definitions in the word lists.
• STEPS and STOPS are familiar examples, and 11 of the 14 matches start with S.
• The remaining first letters are A (two words) and E (one), making S the strongest first-letter filter.
• Final letters E and S each appear four times; A and T appear twice apiece.

Which matches score highest?

STAPH and ATOPY lead the scoring list at 10 points each. STEPS, STOPS, STIPE, STUPA, STIPA, STOPE, STOPT and STEPT each score 7, so the top pair gain their edge from less common letters rather than a longer word.

The average score is 7.4. Dictionary coverage is less even: Collins has all 14 matches, while ENABLE and NWL2023 each have 11. Three Collins entries therefore do not appear in either of those other lists; check your game's word list before playing.

How to search 5-letter words with T 2nd and P 4th

For 5-letter words with T 2nd and P 4th, lock in the pattern _T_P_ before testing the open squares. The first letter narrows the search sharply: try S first, then A, with E accounting for just one match.

If the final tile is known, E and S are the strongest branches, with four matches apiece. A or T leaves two options each, while H and Y occur once each. This ending-first split can rule out more candidates than checking the middle letters, which are already fixed.

Keep the vocabulary limitation in mind: only two entries count as common, despite the full set of 14 being valid in at least one tournament dictionary. A pattern match is not a promise that every game accepts every candidate.