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

With V fixed in the second slot and S at the end, the pattern is narrower than its familiar-looking examples suggest. Only 15 tournament-dictionary words fit, from everyday picks such as OVENS and EVENS to less familiar KVASS and AVGAS. A clue with these two fixed letters leaves the other three positions to do nearly all the filtering, and the opening letters cluster around three vowels.

The V-second, S-fifth pattern at a glance

• Only 15 five-letter words match V in position two and S in position five across tournament dictionaries.
• Five begin with A, four with O, and three with E; I, K, and U each start one.
• KVASS leads the Scrabble scores at 12, ahead of AVOWS at 11.
• Three entries meet the common-word frequency cutoff, while 14 have dictionary definitions.

Which words fit the V-second, S-fifth pattern?

Start with the familiar cluster: OVERS, EVILS, OVENS, EVENS, and OVALS. AVERS and IVIES also look recognizable, but the A-starting group dominates the initial-letter count with five entries, against four O-words and three E-words.

The remaining starts are I, K, and U, one word apiece: IVIES, KVASS, and UVEAS. That uneven spread gives you a solving shortcut: once V and final S are locked, test A, O, and E before spending guesses on K or U.

Only three words land in the frequency-based common group, so familiar spelling is not a reliable proxy for acceptance. Collins includes all 15, while ENABLE and NWL2023 each include 12; check your game's word list when dictionary rules matter.

What scores highest, and what is the catch?

For 5-letter words with V as the 2nd letter and S as the 5th letter, KVASS scores 12 points, AVOWS 11, and AVGAS 9. Seven other words in the top-scoring group tie at 8: OVERS, EVILS, OVENS, EVENS, OVALS, AVERS, and IVIES. KVASS beats the runner-up by one point.

The average score is 8.5, but that figure hides a tight range among the listed leaders: 8 to 12. AVOWS offers an 11-point alternative if KVASS’s unusual opening pair is not a fit for your rack.

One limitation matters for clue solvers: this pattern has only three common words, despite 14 entries having definitions. Learn the everyday anchors first, then treat less familiar matches as dictionary-dependent candidates instead of assuming every plausible form will be accepted.