5-letter words with V as the 1st letter and E as the 5th letter

V??E is a small, vowel-heavy frame: 30 matches begin with V and close on a silent E. VALUE, VOICE, VENUE and VERSE are the recognisable core, and 9 of the 30 sit on the Wordle answer list. The middle slot never takes U, so every match carries A, E, I or O between the V and the final E.

V??E at a glance

• Thirty matches, all opening with V and closing with E.
• Nine are Wordle answers and eight are common words.
• E fills the second square nine times, A and O eight each.
• VALVE, VARVE, VERVE and VOLVE each double the V and score 11.
• VEHME tops the list at 13 but sits only in Collins.

Which vowel sits between V and the final E?

E fills the second square nine times, A and O eight each, and I just five. The VE- group leads with VENUE, VERGE, VERSE and VERVE, while the five VI- words, VITAE, VIRGE, VISIE, VISNE and VILDE, are every one of them borrowed or archaic.

That split matters at the board. Spend a green V and a final E on A, E or O and eight or nine candidates remain; commit the middle tile to I and the field shrinks to five, though four of those are obscure.

Four doubles and a shared scoring ceiling

VALVE, VARVE, VERVE and VOLVE each hold a second V, and all four score exactly 11. The frame rewards that repeat, because V is worth 4 in Scrabble and these words are otherwise plain.

VEHME reaches 13, but it lives only in Collins, as do eleven other matches. The average settles at 9, and only eight words rank among the 25,000 most common English words.

Two lists, two different jobs