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

The fixed pattern is _V_L_: the opening and final letters remain open, but the middle positions sharply narrow the field. Collins includes all 11 matches, compared with 7 in NWL2023 and 6 in ENABLE. Just one belongs to the common-word group, so expect more tournament vocabulary than everyday guesses.

The _V_L_ pattern at a glance

• 11 tournament-dictionary words match _V_L_.
• Collins lists all 11; NWL2023 accepts 7 and ENABLE accepts 6.
• Only one match falls in the common-word group.
• KVELL leads the score list at 12 points; MVULE follows at 10.
• Four matches end in S, while O starts five.

Which letters begin and end these matches?

Five matches start with O: OVALS, OVULE, OVOLO, OVELS and OVOLI. That makes O the strongest opening-letter clue; A contributes two, while E, K, M and U contribute one each, so O's five starts stand out because all other first letters add only one or two. If the first tile is unknown, testing O narrows this small family fastest.

At the other end, four words finish in S and three finish in E. OVALS and EVILS fit the first group; AVALE and OVULE illustrate the second. The remaining endings A, I, L and O each appear once, so a known final letter quickly separates candidates.

How many 5-letter words with V as 2nd and L as 4th?

There are 11 tournament-listed matches, but none is a Wordle answer. The allowed-guess count is 11, so the pattern can still matter when you are checking a permitted guess rather than looking for an answer. The gap between allowed guesses and answers is the key Wordle limitation here.

For board play, KVELL earns 12 points before bonuses, the highest listed total; MVULE scores 10. Other leading examples score 8, including OVALS, UVULA and OVOLO.

The dictionaries overlap: ENABLE has 6 matches, NWL2023 has 7, and Collins has all 11. With only one common entry, check your game's word list before committing to a less familiar word.