7-letter words with P as the 3rd letter and S as the 5th letter

The fixed letters leave four open positions, but the matches cluster around familiar word families. EXPOSED, OPPOSED, and DEPOSIT show how varied the remaining letters can be; many other answers are inflections or less familiar terms. The count differs by dictionary, so a match to this pattern is not automatically accepted in every word game.

7-letter words with P as the 3rd letter and S as the 5th letter

• The pattern has 51 tournament-dictionary matches.
• Only 9 are among the top 25,000 English words by frequency.
• A total of 24 matches end in S.
• R is the most common first letter, starting 10 matches.
• Forty entries have definitions.

What stands out about this letter pattern?

Only 9 of the 51 entries fall among the top 25,000 English words by word frequency, so the pattern is much larger than its everyday vocabulary suggests. Recognizable examples include EXPOSED, OPPOSED, DEPOSIT, IMPOSED, and IMPOSES. Several share a verbal ending: EXPOSES, OPPOSES, and IMPOSES all finish in S.

The final S is the standout: 24 matches end with it, while 7 finish in D and 6 in R. R is also the most common first letter, with 10 entries; E and I each start 7. The R-third sibling pattern has 124 matches ending in S, more than twice this pattern’s 51.

Which entries score highest, and do all dictionaries agree?

EXPOSED is the highest scorer at 17 points; EXPOSES, EXPOSER, EXPOSAL, and EXPOSIT each score 16. The average score is 11, so those top entries sit well above the typical result. A bonus square can raise a play, but keep the fixed P and S in their required positions while checking your rack.

Dictionary coverage differs: Collins includes 49 words, NWL2023 includes 44, and ENABLE includes 42. Forty entries have definitions, but unfamiliar forms and specialist vocabulary still make up part of the pool. Check your game’s word list before committing, especially in a cross-dictionary match.

For 7-letter words with P as the 3rd letter and S as the 5th letter, start with the pattern __P_S__, then test likely endings such as -ED or -ES. The 24 S-final entries make that ending a strong first check, not a guarantee.