5-letter words with Y as the 3rd letter and S as the 4th letter

The fixed pattern is __YS_, leaving the first two and final letters open. ABYSS and TRYST are recognizable entries, but just one word in this group ranks among the 25,000 most frequent English terms. That rarity matters during a game: a pattern match can be valid without being an everyday guess.

How many words put Y third and S fourth?

• Exactly 12 five-letter entries match the fixed Y-at-third, S-at-fourth pattern.
• Four begin with P; A is next with two, and six other starting letters occur once.
• Four end in E and four in T; D, M, S, and Y each appear once at the end.
• Only one of the twelve falls within the top 25,000 English words by frequency.

Are any of these words Wordle answers?

Yes: two words matching __YS_ are in the Wordle answer list, and all 12 pattern matches are allowed guesses. The answer identities are not specified here, so use the live board and its feedback rather than assuming ABYSS or TRYST is an answer.

E and T account for eight of the twelve entries together. If your final tile is still unknown, test those endings against the remaining letters; don't spend a guess on a familiar-looking word until every revealed position fits.

Which entries score highest, and where are they accepted?

BOYSY leads the Scrabble scores at 13 points, followed by ABYSM at 12 and PAYSD at 11. ABYSS, MAYST, PRYSE, PEYSE, and POYSE each score 10; the group averages 9.9 points before board bonuses.

Collins includes all 12 matches, while ENABLE and NWL2023 include five apiece. That split is the practical limitation: several pattern fits will not transfer to every tournament list, so check your game's word list before committing. BOYSY's lead over ABYSS comes from tile values, not a guaranteed premium-square play.

The scarcity comes from the YS sequence, not just Y in the third slot. Changing only the fourth letter to E gives 61 matches; changing it to L gives 35. For 5-letter words with Y as the 3rd letter and S as the 4th letter, expect a much tighter choice than either neighboring pattern.