Five-letter position pattern
5 Letter Words with A as 2nd and F as 3rd Letter
Every word here follows the shape ?AF??, with A second and F third. A in the second box is very common, usually after a consonant such as B, C, H, M, P or T. F in the third box is uncommon and usually followed by T or F.
45matching five-letter words
Five-letter words with A in the 2nd and F in the 3rd position
- baffs
- baffy
- bafta
- bafts
- cafes
- caffa
- caffs
- cafiz
- cafoy
- daffs
- daffy
- faffs
- faffy
- gaffe
- gaffs
- haffs
- hafis
- hafiz
- hafts
- jafas
- jaffa
- kafir
- kafiz
- kafta
- mafey
- mafia
- mafic
- mafoo
- naffs
- raffe
- raffs
- rafts
- rafty
- safar
- safed
- safen
- safer
- safes
- taffy
- tafia
- wafer
- waffs
- wafts
- wafty
- yaffs
How These Words Are Built
Most of these words begin with W as in WAFER, B as in BAFTA and S as in SAFER. For endings, look for ER as in WAFER.
Useful five-letter words
WAFER, BAFTA, SAFER, MAFIA and CAFES are the entries you are most likely to meet.
- WAFER
- BAFTA
- SAFER
- MAFIA
- CAFES
Pattern Notes
The pair mixes a vowel with a consonant, which gives the words a natural, easy to pronounce rhythm, as in WAFER, BAFTA and SAFER. Most of the familiar words open with a consonant. The fifth box is most often R, A and S, which makes it the quickest place to settle the ending.
Quick Strategy for This Pattern
Begin with W, B and S in the first box, because they open the largest groups. After that, test R in the fifth box, since it is the single most common final letter here. The fixed A and F do a lot of the work, so spend your guesses on the three open boxes. For a wider view, see 5 letter words with A as the 2nd letter and 5 letter words with F as the 3rd letter.
Playing This Pattern in Word Games
In Scrabble, A is worth one point and F is worth four points. Knowing words such as WAFER, BAFTA and SAFER helps you use both tiles quickly when they land on your rack.
Frequently asked questions
What should I guess first for this pattern
WAFER is a strong first choice, because it is a familiar word that also tests E, R and W in the three open boxes.
What does F as the third letter tell me
F in the third box is uncommon and usually followed by T or F. WAFER is a good example.
Which letters usually start words with A second and F third
W, B and S are the usual openers, as in WAFER, BAFTA and SAFER. Testing one of them in the first box is the quickest way to narrow the list.