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

The shape is _ O _ _ V _ _, but the opening and ending letters vary sharply. M starts six entries, while S and R together close eleven. HOWEVER and FOREVER are familiar anchors; several other forms, including SONOVOX and MOOLVIS, are less likely in everyday play.

At a glance: the O-and-V pattern

• Collins lists all 18 matches; NWL2023 accepts 13, and ENABLE accepts 11.
• Four entries are common, including HOWEVER, FOREVER, MOTIVES and POPOVER.
• M starts six words; B, C and S start two each.
• S ends six matches and R ends five, together accounting for eleven.

How many 7-letter words have O second and V fifth?

Only 18 words fit both fixed positions, far fewer than the 37 with E second and V fifth. Keep O in place but change the fifth letter to I, and the neighboring pattern expands to 1,193 matches; E gives 755. In this comparison, V is the tighter constraint.

Within the exact pattern, M leads with six starting words. The endings cluster just as tightly: S appears six times and R five, while L appears twice and each other final letter appears once. If a puzzle reveals its last letter, check S or R first to narrow the candidates quickly.

Score standouts and a vocabulary caveat

ZOUAVES tops the Scrabble scores at 19 points, followed by SONOVOX at 17 and HOWEVER at 16. ZOUAVES pairs high-value Z and V tiles; SONOVOX brings an X. HOWEVER is the most familiar of those top scorers, and FOREVER scores 13.

Only four of the 18 matches count as common, despite recognizable entries such as HOWEVER and FOREVER. Treat many of the remaining forms as tournament vocabulary rather than everyday words. Collins includes all 18, but NWL2023 and ENABLE accept fewer, so check your game's word list before challenging an unfamiliar play.