Five-letter position pattern
5 Letter Words with O as 2nd and S as 3rd Letter
Putting O second and S third gives a distinctive family of words, such as COSTS and POSTS. O in the second box is one of the most common placements and follows many consonants. S in the third box often sits between a vowel and T, or doubles in words like ISSUE.
94matching five-letter words
Five-letter words with O in the 2nd and S in the 3rd position
- bosey
- bosie
- bosks
- bosky
- bosom
- boson
- bossa
- bossy
- bosun
- cosec
- cosed
- cosen
- coses
- coset
- cosey
- cosie
- cosin
- cosse
- costa
- coste
- costs
- dosed
- doseh
- doser
- doses
- dosis
- dossy
- eosin
- fosie
- fossa
- fosse
- gosht
- gosse
- gossy
- hosed
- hosel
- hosen
- hoser
- hoses
- hosey
- hosta
- hosts
- koses
- kosha
- kosin
- kosos
- losed
- losel
- losen
- loser
- loses
- lossy
- mosan
- mosed
- mosel
- moses
- mosey
- mosks
- mosso
- mossy
- moste
- mosts
- nosed
- noser
- noses
- nosey
- nosig
- ooses
- posca
- posed
- poser
- poses
- posey
- posho
- posit
- posse
- possy
- posts
- rosal
- rosed
- roses
- roset
- roshi
- rosin
- rosit
- rosti
- rosts
- sosie
- tosas
- tosca
- tosed
- toses
- toshy
- tossy
Starts and Endings
The first box is most often P as in POSTS, C as in COSTS and L as in LOSES. For endings, look for ES as in LOSES and TS as in COSTS.
Useful five-letter words
COSTS, POSTS, HOSTS, COSTA and LOSES are the best known words that fit, so they make sensible first guesses. LOSER, ROSES and POSED are worth keeping in reserve.
- COSTS
- POSTS
- HOSTS
- COSTA
- LOSES
Pattern Notes
The pair mixes a vowel with a consonant, which gives the words a natural, easy to pronounce rhythm, as in COSTS, POSTS and HOSTS. Most of the familiar words open with a consonant. The fifth box is most often S, D and A, which makes it the quickest place to settle the ending.
How to Narrow It Down
Begin with P, C and L in the first box, because they open the largest groups. If the opener comes back grey, move to the ending and try S in the fifth box. The fixed O and S do a lot of the work, so spend your guesses on the three open boxes. For a wider view, see 5 letter words with O as the 2nd letter and 5 letter words with S as the 3rd letter.
Scrabble and Other Word Games
In Scrabble, O is worth one point and S is worth one point. Words like COSTS, POSTS and HOSTS are handy to remember when you hold both of these letters.
Frequently asked questions
What should I guess first for this pattern
COSTS is a strong first choice, because it is a familiar word that also tests C, S and T in the three open boxes.
Is O second and S 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 O second and S third
P, C and L are the usual openers, as in POSTS, COSTS and LOSES. Testing one of them in the first box is the quickest way to narrow the list.