Five-letter position pattern
5 Letter Words with H as 2nd and O as 3rd Letter
Start with THOSE or WHOLE, two of the best known words that put H second and O third. H in the second box almost always forms a pair with the first letter, such as TH, WH, SH or CH. O in the third box is very common and sits in the middle of everyday words.
150matching five-letter words
Five-letter words with H in the 2nd and O in the 3rd position
- ahold
- aholt
- ahong
- bhoot
- choak
- choca
- chock
- choco
- chocs
- chode
- choel
- choga
- chogs
- choil
- choir
- choke
- choko
- choky
- chola
- chold
- choli
- cholo
- chomp
- chonk
- choof
- chook
- choom
- choon
- choop
- chopa
- chops
- chord
- chore
- chort
- chose
- chota
- chott
- choup
- chous
- chout
- choux
- chowk
- chows
- choya
- dhobi
- dhoby
- dhole
- dholl
- dhols
- dhoni
- dhoon
- dhoti
- dhoty
- dhoul
- dhows
- ghole
- ghoom
- ghost
- ghoul
- jhool
- khoja
- khoka
- khors
- khoum
- mhorr
- ohone
- phoby
- phoca
- phone
- phono
- phons
- phony
- phose
- phoss
- photo
- phots
- rhody
- rhomb
- rhone
- shoad
- shoal
- shoat
- shock
- shode
- shoed
- shoer
- shoes
- shogi
- shogs
- shoji
- shola
- shole
- shone
- shood
- shooi
- shook
- shool
- shoon
- shoop
- shoor
- shoos
- shoot
- shope
- shops
- shore
- shorl
- shorn
- short
- shote
- shots
- shott
- shout
- shove
- showd
- shown
- shows
- showy
- shoya
- shoyu
- thoft
- thoke
- thole
- tholi
- thone
- thong
- thoom
- thore
- thorn
- thoro
- thorp
- thort
- those
- thous
- thowl
- thowt
- whole
- wholl
- whomp
- whone
- whoof
- whoop
- whoot
- whops
- whore
- whorl
- whort
- whory
- whose
- whoso
- zhomo
What the Words Have in Common
Most of these words begin with S as in SHORT, C as in CHOSE and T as in THOSE. For endings, look for SE as in THOSE and NE as in PHONE.
Useful five-letter words
THOSE, WHOLE, SHORT, PHONE and SHOWS are the best known words that fit, so they make sensible first guesses. WHOSE, PHOTO and SHOWN are worth keeping in reserve.
- THOSE
- WHOLE
- SHORT
- PHONE
- SHOWS
Reading the Letter Pair
The pair mixes a consonant with a vowel, which gives the words a natural, easy to pronounce rhythm, as in THOSE, WHOLE and SHORT. Most of the familiar words open with a consonant. The fifth box is most often E, S and T, which makes it the quickest place to settle the ending.
How to Narrow It Down
The first box is the biggest unknown, and S, C and T are the strongest openers to test. If the opener comes back grey, move to the ending and try E in the fifth box. The fixed H and O do a lot of the work, so spend your guesses on the three open boxes. For a wider view, see 5 letter words with H as the 2nd letter and 5 letter words with O as the 3rd letter.
Using These Words in Scrabble
In Scrabble, H is worth four points and O is worth one point. Words like THOSE, WHOLE and SHORT are handy to remember when you hold both of these letters.
Frequently asked questions
What should I guess first for this pattern
THOSE is a strong first choice, because it is a familiar word that also tests E, S and T in the three open boxes.
Which letters usually start words with H second and O third
S, C and T are the usual openers, as in SHORT, CHOSE and THOSE. Testing one of them in the first box is the quickest way to narrow the list.
What does H as the second letter tell me
H in the second box almost always forms a pair with the first letter, such as TH, WH, SH or CH. THOSE is a good example.