Five-letter position pattern
5 Letter Words with E as 2nd and R as 3rd Letter
Five letter words with E second and R third turn up in puzzles more often than you might expect. E in the second box is one of the most common vowel placements and follows almost any consonant. R in the third box is very common and usually follows a vowel.
269matching five-letter words
Five-letter words with E in the 2nd and R in the 3rd position
- aeric
- aerie
- aeros
- berat
- beray
- beres
- beret
- bergs
- bergy
- berko
- berks
- berme
- berms
- berob
- beroe
- berry
- berth
- berun
- beryl
- beryx
- ceral
- ceras
- cerat
- cerci
- cered
- cerer
- ceres
- cerge
- ceria
- ceric
- cerin
- cerne
- ceros
- certs
- certy
- ceryl
- derah
- derat
- deray
- derby
- dered
- deres
- deric
- derig
- derma
- derms
- derns
- derog
- deros
- derri
- derro
- derry
- derth
- derve
- dervs
- eerie
- feral
- ferer
- feres
- feria
- ferie
- ferio
- ferly
- ferme
- fermi
- ferms
- ferns
- ferny
- ferox
- ferry
- ferth
- gerah
- gerbe
- gerbo
- geres
- gerim
- gerip
- gerle
- germs
- germy
- gerne
- herba
- herbs
- herby
- herds
- herem
- heres
- herls
- herma
- hermi
- herms
- herne
- herns
- heron
- heros
- herry
- herse
- hertz
- herye
- jerez
- jerib
- jerid
- jerks
- jerky
- jerry
- kerat
- kerbs
- kerch
- kerel
- kerfs
- kerky
- kerma
- kerne
- kerns
- keros
- kerry
- kerve
- lered
- leres
- lerot
- lerps
- merch
- mercs
- mercy
- merde
- mered
- merel
- merer
- meres
- merge
- mergh
- meril
- meris
- merit
- merks
- merle
- merls
- merop
- meros
- merry
- merse
- neral
- nerds
- nerdy
- nerka
- nerks
- nerol
- nerts
- nertz
- nerve
- nervy
- perai
- perau
- perca
- perce
- perch
- perdu
- perdy
- perea
- peres
- peril
- peris
- perit
- perks
- perky
- perms
- perns
- perps
- perry
- perse
- perst
- perts
- perty
- perve
- pervs
- pervy
- reran
- reree
- rerig
- rerob
- rerow
- rerub
- rerun
- serab
- serac
- serai
- seral
- serau
- seraw
- sered
- sereh
- serer
- seres
- serfs
- serge
- sergt
- seric
- serif
- serin
- serio
- serks
- sermo
- seron
- serow
- serra
- serre
- serrs
- serry
- serta
- serum
- serut
- serve
- servo
- terai
- terap
- teras
- terce
- terek
- teres
- tereu
- terfe
- terfs
- terga
- terma
- terms
- terna
- terne
- terns
- terra
- terre
- terry
- terse
- terts
- terzo
- veray
- verbs
- verby
- verde
- verek
- verey
- verge
- vergi
- verra
- verre
- verry
- versa
- verse
- verso
- verst
- verts
- vertu
- verty
- verus
- verve
- weren
- weros
- wersh
- xeres
- xeric
- xerox
- xerus
- yerba
- yerds
- yerks
- yerth
- yerva
- zerda
- zerks
- zeros
The Shape of the Pattern
Openers to expect include M as in MERCY, P as in PERRY and H as in HERBS. For endings, look for RY as in TERRY and GE as in MERGE.
Useful five-letter words
Start with TERMS, SERVE, MERCY, TERRY and PERRY. They are the easiest to recognise, which makes them safe tests. NERVE, VERSE and DERBY are worth keeping in reserve.
- TERMS
- SERVE
- MERCY
- TERRY
- PERRY
Pattern Notes
The pair mixes a vowel with a consonant, which gives the words a natural, easy to pronounce rhythm, as in TERMS, SERVE and MERCY. Most of the familiar words open with a consonant. The fifth box is most often S, Y and E, which makes it the quickest place to settle the ending.
A Smart Way to Use Both Letters
The first box is the biggest unknown, and M, P and H are the strongest openers to test. If the opener comes back grey, move to the ending and try S in the fifth box. The fixed E and R do a lot of the work, so spend your guesses on the three open boxes. For a wider view, see 5 letter words with E as the 2nd letter and 5 letter words with R as the 3rd letter.
Playing This Pattern in Word Games
In Scrabble, E is worth one point and R is worth one point. Knowing words such as TERMS, SERVE and MERCY helps you use both tiles quickly when they land on your rack.
Frequently asked questions
Is E second and R third a common pattern in Wordle
It is a large group, so it gives you plenty of choices. Knowing the usual openers and endings helps more than guessing blindly.
Which letters usually start words with E second and R third
M, P and H are the usual openers, as in MERCY, PERRY and HERBS. Testing one of them in the first box is the quickest way to narrow the list.
What does E as the second letter tell me
E in the second box is one of the most common vowel placements and follows almost any consonant. TERMS is a good example.