5-letter words with Y as the 4th letter and L as the 5th letter

Only 14 words fit this frame, and nine of them are chemical-group names ending in -YL, from ALKYL and ETHYL to OCTYL and TOLYL. VINYL is the one entry most players meet away from a lab bench or a game board. HEXYL and XYLYL share the top score at 18, while VINYL manages 11.

5-letter words with Y as the 4th letter and L as the 5th letter

• 14 tournament words fit the frame _ _ _ Y L.
• 12 end in -YL, with BERYL and SWAYL the exceptions.
• Nine name chemical groups: ALKYL, ALLYL, BUTYL, CETYL, ETHYL, HEXYL, NONYL, OCTYL and TOLYL.
• HEXYL and XYLYL share the top score at 18 points.
• VINYL is the only common word and the only Wordle answer.

Why is this list mostly chemistry?

The -yl suffix marks a chemical group, and it supplies nine of the 14 words: ALKYL, ALLYL, BUTYL, CETYL, ETHYL, HEXYL, NONYL, OCTYL and TOLYL. Two entries leave that family behind, the mineral BERYL and the rare SWAYL. SWAYL appears in Collins alone, which makes it the pickiest word in the set.

The letters that break the pattern are the reason to remember those two. BERYL puts an R in front of the Y and SWAYL puts a W behind it, so neither reads like a chemical name at a glance. BERYL is a long-established noun with a full definition, while SWAYL is the one word in the set without one.

Where do the 18-point plays come from?

HEXYL reaches 18 on its H and X, and XYLYL matches it because the word spends two Y tiles and two L tiles. ALKYL is the next best on 12, then VINYL, ETHYL and SWAYL on 11. The average sits at 11.1, and even the cheapest entries, NONYL, ALLYL and TOLYL, still score 8.

Wordle coverage stops at one answer, VINYL, though all 14 words are accepted guesses. Collins carries every entry, while NWL2023 and ENABLE list 12 each, and only CETYL and SWAYL are missing from both of those lists. Thirteen of the 14 come with a definition.

Pick the cheaper of the two top plays