5-Letter Word Statistics & Frequency Analysis
Comprehensive statistical analysis derived directly from the verified ENABLE1 English word list (8,645 entries) and the official Wordle solution repository. Explore overall letter frequencies, slot-by-slot distributions, vowel structures, double-letter ratios, and common bigrams.
Core Dataset Metrics at a Glance
Source: 8,645 Approved 5-Letter Words100% deduplicated English vocabulary
13.7% of dictionary entries
Overall Letter Frequency in 5-Letter Words
Complete ranking of all 26 English letters across 8,645 five-letter words (43,225 total letter positions).
| Rank | Letter | Total Occurrences | Letter Share | Word Count | Word Presence | Explore |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | S | 4,511 | 4,001 | 46.3% | Words with S → | |
| #2 | E | 4,461 | 3,886 | 45.0% | Words with E → | |
| #3 | A | 3,848 | 3,500 | 40.5% | Words with A → | |
| #4 | O | 2,873 | 2,535 | 29.3% | Words with O → | |
| #5 | R | 2,836 | 2,672 | 30.9% | Words with R → | |
| #6 | I | 2,551 | 2,434 | 28.2% | Words with I → | |
| #7 | L | 2,374 | 2,170 | 25.1% | Words with L → | |
| #8 | T | 2,261 | 2,086 | 24.1% | Words with T → | |
| #9 | N | 1,962 | 1,854 | 21.4% | Words with N → | |
| #10 | D | 1,678 | 1,570 | 18.2% | Words with D → | |
| #11 | U | 1,633 | 1,596 | 18.5% | Words with U → | |
| #12 | C | 1,446 | 1,375 | 15.9% | Words with C → | |
| #13 | P | 1,354 | 1,277 | 14.8% | Words with P → | |
| #14 | Y | 1,348 | 1,323 | 15.3% | Words with Y → | |
| #15 | M | 1,295 | 1,226 | 14.2% | Words with M → | |
| #16 | H | 1,177 | 1,148 | 13.3% | Words with H → | |
| #17 | G | 1,065 | 1,007 | 11.6% | Words with G → | |
| #18 | B | 1,039 | 971 | 11.2% | Words with B → | |
| #19 | K | 917 | 885 | 10.2% | Words with K → | |
| #20 | F | 770 | 690 | 8.0% | Words with F → | |
| #21 | W | 679 | 675 | 7.8% | Words with W → | |
| #22 | V | 466 | 455 | 5.3% | Words with V → | |
| #23 | Z | 229 | 211 | 2.4% | Words with Z → | |
| #24 | X | 204 | 203 | 2.3% | Words with X → | |
| #25 | J | 173 | 171 | 2.0% | Words with J → | |
| #26 | Q | 75 | 75 | 0.9% | Words with Q → |
Letter Frequency by Position (Slots 1–5)
Where each letter is most likely to appear. Critical for optimal first guesses in Wordle and pattern solving.
S leads Position 1 with 1,056 words (12.2% of all 5-letter words).
| Rank | Letter | Count in Slot 1 | Distribution | Share | Links |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | S | 1,056 | 12.2% | Starts with S → | |
| #2 | C | 666 | 7.7% | Starts with C → | |
| #3 | B | 590 | 6.8% | Starts with B → | |
| #4 | P | 565 | 6.5% | Starts with P → | |
| #5 | T | 548 | 6.3% | Starts with T → | |
| #6 | A | 499 | 5.8% | Starts with A → | |
| #7 | D | 457 | 5.3% | Starts with D → | |
| #8 | M | 445 | 5.1% | Starts with M → | |
| #9 | F | 430 | 5.0% | Starts with F → | |
| #10 | R | 420 | 4.9% | Starts with R → | |
| #11 | G | 415 | 4.8% | Starts with G → | |
| #12 | L | 402 | 4.7% | Starts with L → | |
| #13 | H | 334 | 3.9% | Starts with H → | |
| #14 | W | 296 | 3.4% | Starts with W → | |
| #15 | K | 206 | 2.4% | Starts with K → |
A leads Position 2 with 1,481 words (17.1% of all 5-letter words).
| Rank | Letter | Count in Slot 2 | Distribution | Share | Links |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | A | 1,481 | 17.1% | Words with A → | |
| #2 | O | 1,336 | 15.5% | Words with O → | |
| #3 | E | 1,063 | 12.3% | Words with E → | |
| #4 | I | 967 | 11.2% | Words with I → | |
| #5 | U | 791 | 9.1% | Words with U → | |
| #6 | R | 645 | 7.5% | Words with R → | |
| #7 | L | 509 | 5.9% | Words with L → | |
| #8 | H | 380 | 4.4% | Words with H → | |
| #9 | N | 240 | 2.8% | Words with N → | |
| #10 | T | 166 | 1.9% | Words with T → | |
| #11 | Y | 166 | 1.9% | Words with Y → | |
| #12 | P | 151 | 1.7% | Words with P → | |
| #13 | C | 122 | 1.4% | Words with C → | |
| #14 | M | 117 | 1.4% | Words with M → | |
| #15 | W | 98 | 1.1% | Words with W → |
A leads Position 3 with 851 words (9.8% of all 5-letter words).
| Rank | Letter | Count in Slot 3 | Distribution | Share | Links |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | A | 851 | 9.8% | Words with A → | |
| #2 | R | 791 | 9.1% | Words with R → | |
| #3 | I | 743 | 8.6% | Words with I → | |
| #4 | O | 677 | 7.8% | Words with O → | |
| #5 | N | 631 | 7.3% | Words with N → | |
| #6 | L | 585 | 6.8% | Words with L → | |
| #7 | E | 565 | 6.5% | Words with E → | |
| #8 | U | 444 | 5.1% | Words with U → | |
| #9 | T | 443 | 5.1% | Words with T → | |
| #10 | S | 341 | 3.9% | Words with S → | |
| #11 | M | 339 | 3.9% | Words with M → | |
| #12 | C | 274 | 3.2% | Words with C → | |
| #13 | D | 274 | 3.2% | Words with D → | |
| #14 | P | 244 | 2.8% | Words with P → | |
| #15 | G | 241 | 2.8% | Words with G → |
E leads Position 4 with 1,709 words (19.8% of all 5-letter words).
| Rank | Letter | Count in Slot 4 | Distribution | Share | Links |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | E | 1,709 | 19.8% | Words with E → | |
| #2 | A | 660 | 7.6% | Words with A → | |
| #3 | T | 624 | 7.2% | Words with T → | |
| #4 | I | 580 | 6.7% | Words with I → | |
| #5 | L | 532 | 6.2% | Words with L → | |
| #6 | N | 524 | 6.1% | Words with N → | |
| #7 | O | 456 | 5.3% | Words with O → | |
| #8 | R | 456 | 5.3% | Words with R → | |
| #9 | S | 354 | 4.1% | Words with S → | |
| #10 | K | 325 | 3.8% | Words with K → | |
| #11 | D | 305 | 3.5% | Words with D → | |
| #12 | C | 287 | 3.3% | Words with C → | |
| #13 | P | 273 | 3.2% | Words with P → | |
| #14 | G | 272 | 3.1% | Words with G → | |
| #15 | M | 269 | 3.1% | Words with M → |
S leads Position 5 with 2,695 words (31.2% of all 5-letter words).
| Rank | Letter | Count in Slot 5 | Distribution | Share | Links |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | S | 2,695 | 31.2% | Ends with S → | |
| #2 | E | 931 | 10.8% | Ends with E → | |
| #3 | Y | 906 | 10.5% | Ends with Y → | |
| #4 | D | 583 | 6.7% | Ends with D → | |
| #5 | R | 524 | 6.1% | Ends with R → | |
| #6 | T | 480 | 5.6% | Ends with T → | |
| #7 | N | 367 | 4.2% | Ends with N → | |
| #8 | A | 357 | 4.1% | Ends with A → | |
| #9 | L | 346 | 4.0% | Ends with L → | |
| #10 | H | 255 | 2.9% | Ends with H → | |
| #11 | O | 223 | 2.6% | Ends with O → | |
| #12 | K | 182 | 2.1% | Ends with K → | |
| #13 | I | 142 | 1.6% | Ends with I → | |
| #14 | M | 125 | 1.4% | Ends with M → | |
| #15 | P | 121 | 1.4% | Ends with P → |
Most Common First & Last Letters
Direct comparison of the top starting and ending letters for 5-letter words with direct links to full word catalogs.
Top Starting Letters (Position 1)
Most common word beginnings| Rank | Letter | Words | Share | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | S | 1,056 | 12.2% | Starts with S → |
| #2 | C | 666 | 7.7% | Starts with C → |
| #3 | B | 590 | 6.8% | Starts with B → |
| #4 | P | 565 | 6.5% | Starts with P → |
| #5 | T | 548 | 6.3% | Starts with T → |
| #6 | A | 499 | 5.8% | Starts with A → |
| #7 | D | 457 | 5.3% | Starts with D → |
| #8 | M | 445 | 5.1% | Starts with M → |
| #9 | F | 430 | 5.0% | Starts with F → |
| #10 | R | 420 | 4.9% | Starts with R → |
Top Ending Letters (Position 5)
Most common word endings| Rank | Letter | Words | Share | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | S | 2,695 | 31.2% | Ends with S → |
| #2 | E | 931 | 10.8% | Ends with E → |
| #3 | Y | 906 | 10.5% | Ends with Y → |
| #4 | D | 583 | 6.7% | Ends with D → |
| #5 | R | 524 | 6.1% | Ends with R → |
| #6 | T | 480 | 5.6% | Ends with T → |
| #7 | N | 367 | 4.2% | Ends with N → |
| #8 | A | 357 | 4.1% | Ends with A → |
| #9 | L | 346 | 4.0% | Ends with L → |
| #10 | H | 255 | 2.9% | Ends with H → |
Vowel Count Distribution (0 to 4 Vowels)
How many standard vowels (A, E, I, O, U) typically appear in a 5-letter English word.
Extremely rare words relying on semivowels Y and vocalic W.
Heavy consonant clusters (e.g. BLEND, CRISP, FROST).
The standard English balance (e.g. CRANE, ARISE, AUDIO, SLATE).
Vowel-rich words popular in opening Wordle guesses (e.g. ROATE, ADIEU).
Rare ultra-vocalic words like ADIEU, AERIE, AUDIO, and OUIJA.
Double-Letter & Repeated-Letter Frequencies
Analysis of identical letter occurrences: adjacent doublets vs separated duplicate letters.
1,145 words contain twin adjacent letters (e.g. PP in APPLE, EE in SPEED, LL in BELLY).
2,972 words contain duplicate letters anywhere in the word (such as R_D_R in RADAR, E_R_E in EERIE, or L_V_L in LEVEL).
Most Common Starting & Ending Pairs (Bigrams)
The top 2-letter sequences that start and conclude 5-letter English words.
Top 20 Starting Pairs (Prefix Digraphs)
Slots 1 & 2| Rank | Pair | Word Count | Share | Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | CO | 167 | 1.9% | Starts with C → |
| #2 | RE | 135 | 1.6% | Starts with R → |
| #3 | ST | 130 | 1.5% | Starts with S → |
| #4 | MA | 126 | 1.5% | Starts with M → |
| #5 | CA | 120 | 1.4% | Starts with C → |
| #6 | PA | 119 | 1.4% | Starts with P → |
| #7 | SH | 114 | 1.3% | Starts with S → |
| #8 | MO | 108 | 1.2% | Starts with M → |
| #9 | SA | 108 | 1.2% | Starts with S → |
| #10 | BA | 106 | 1.2% | Starts with B → |
| #11 | BO | 105 | 1.2% | Starts with B → |
| #12 | TA | 103 | 1.2% | Starts with T → |
| #13 | RA | 101 | 1.2% | Starts with R → |
| #14 | CH | 99 | 1.1% | Starts with C → |
| #15 | SP | 98 | 1.1% | Starts with S → |
| #16 | TO | 98 | 1.1% | Starts with T → |
| #17 | DO | 96 | 1.1% | Starts with D → |
| #18 | HA | 96 | 1.1% | Starts with H → |
| #19 | LA | 95 | 1.1% | Starts with L → |
| #20 | LO | 95 | 1.1% | Starts with L → |
Top 20 Ending Pairs (Suffix Digraphs)
Slots 4 & 5| Rank | Pair | Word Count | Share | Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | ES | 536 | 6.2% | Words ending in ES → |
| #2 | ED | 389 | 4.5% | Words ending in ED → |
| #3 | ER | 363 | 4.2% | Words ending in ER → |
| #4 | TS | 287 | 3.3% | Words ending in TS → |
| #5 | KS | 187 | 2.2% | Words ending in KS → |
| #6 | LS | 181 | 2.1% | Words ending in LS → |
| #7 | AS | 172 | 2.0% | Words ending in AS → |
| #8 | NS | 161 | 1.9% | Words ending in NS → |
| #9 | DS | 153 | 1.8% | Words ending in DS → |
| #10 | PS | 127 | 1.5% | Words ending in PS → |
| #11 | AL | 123 | 1.4% | Words ending in AL → |
| #12 | OS | 115 | 1.3% | Words ending in OS → |
| #13 | RS | 111 | 1.3% | Words ending in RS → |
| #14 | LY | 104 | 1.2% | Words ending in LY → |
| #15 | SE | 103 | 1.2% | Words ending in SE → |
| #16 | TY | 99 | 1.1% | Words ending in TY → |
| #17 | CH | 98 | 1.1% | Words ending in CH → |
| #18 | LE | 94 | 1.1% | Words ending in LE → |
| #19 | IS | 90 | 1.0% | Words ending in IS → |
| #20 | MS | 90 | 1.0% | Words ending in MS → |
Methodology, Normalization & Data Integrity
Full transparency on dataset provenance, deduplication algorithms, and calculation standards.
1. Baseline Dataset & Provenance
Statistics are computed from the ENABLE1 (Enhanced North American Benchmark Lexicon), the gold standard reference used by competitive word games and puzzle engines, cross-referenced with the official 2,309 curated Wordle solution repository.
2. Strict Normalization
All words are converted to lowercase ASCII (a–z). Non-alphabetic tokens, accents, hyphens, and whitespace are stripped. Only words matching the exact regular expression ^[a-z]{5}$ are evaluated.
3. Zero-Tolerance Deduplication
Every word undergoes set hashing during build initialization to prevent double-counting. Exactly 8,645 unique words were indexed, yielding 100% reproducible metrics.
4. Defensible Statistics
No metrics are fabricated or estimated. All proportions and percentages reflect exact integer tallies calculated during the static compilation pipeline.
Frequently Asked Questions About 5-Letter Word Statistics
Everything you need to know about finding words and solving puzzles.
What is the most common letter in 5-letter English words?
The letter S is the most frequent letter overall, appearing 4,511 times across our dataset (10.4% of all letter slots) and occurring in 46.3% of all 5-letter words. The letter E ranks second with 4,461 occurrences.
What letter is most likely to start a 5-letter word?
The letter S is the most common starting letter, heading 1,056 words (12.2% of all 5-letter words). It is followed by C (666 words) and B (590 words).
What letter is most likely to end a 5-letter word?
The letter S is by far the most dominant ending letter, appearing as the final character in 2,695 words (31.2% of all words), largely due to standard plural nouns and third-person singular verbs. The letter E ranks second (931 words, 10.8%).
How many 5-letter words contain zero vowels?
There are exactly 36 words (0.42%) in the 5-letter dictionary with no standard vowels (A, E, I, O, U). These words rely entirely on the consonant/semivowel Y (such as CRYPT, DRYLY, GLYPH, NYMPH, and RHYTHM) or vocalic W (such as CRWTH).
What percentage of 5-letter words contain duplicate or repeated letters?
Approximately 34.4% of 5-letter words (2,972 words) contain at least one repeated letter (such as RADAR or LEVEL). Furthermore, 13.2% (1,145 words) contain consecutive double letters (such as APPLE or SPEED).
How were these statistics compiled?
All figures are computed deterministically from our normalized ENABLE1 English lexicon containing 8,645 unique 5-letter words, cross-referenced with the official 2,309 Wordle solution repository. All entries are deduplicated, ASCII-normalized, and verified against standard English lexicographical criteria.