6-letter words with Y as the 3rd letter and O as the 5th letter

The fixed pattern is _ _ Y _ O _, and 25 tournament-dictionary words fit it. Examples range from ANYHOW and SKYBOX to specialist terms such as GLYCOL, PHYTON, and CHYRON. The list is unusually narrow: only one entry falls within our common-word frequency band, so most matches are better treated as puzzle or tournament vocabulary than everyday choices.

What stands out about this letter pattern?

• Exactly 25 entries match the six-letter pattern _ _ Y _ O _.
• SKYBOX leads the score list at 22 points; HAYBOX follows at 21.
• Only 1 match falls within the common-word frequency band.
• Collins includes 23 matches, NWL2023 includes 19, and ENABLE includes 17.
• A dictionary definition is available for 18 matches.

Which words fit the Y-third, O-fifth pattern?

The examples range from ANYHOW and SKYBOX to GLYCOL, FLYBOY, THYMOL, and ETYMON. P is the most frequent opening letter, with four matches; C and S each begin three. That small opening-letter cluster gives you a practical elimination clue when the first slot is still unknown.

Dictionary coverage differs: 23 matches appear in Collins, 19 in NWL2023, and 17 in ENABLE. Of the full set, 18 have definitions. A word can fit the letter pattern and still be absent from the lexicon used in your game, so treat obscure matches with care.

How should you search this pattern?

Lock Y into the third slot and O into the fifth, then test the remaining letters rather than guessing from a familiar-looking ending. SKYBOX scores 22, HAYBOX scores 21, and JOYPOP scores 20; those high-scoring candidates stand out when tile value matters.

The pattern is scarce beside nearby alternatives. Replacing Y with N in the third slot while keeping O fifth gives 143 matches; keeping Y third and switching the fifth letter to E gives 106. If the puzzle allows flexibility, changing one fixed letter opens a much larger pool.