SM opens the smallest field of any consonant pair in English, which changes how a Wordle player should treat it. Confirming SM removes so many words at once that the 5 letter words starting with SM can be worked through in a single pass.
Only three letters follow the pair in any number, and O leads them. Smoke, Smart, Smell and Smash are the ones most players already know, so the harder part is not narrowing the field but remembering that half of it repeats a letter.
There are 43 five letter words starting with SM. Smith, Smart, Smoke, Smile and Smack are the strongest Wordle guesses because none of them repeat a letter. SMO and SMA hold the deepest runs, so test O and A in the third slot first.
5 Letter Words Starting With SM
S and M take two slots without a vowel, which pushes the first vowel to position three. 5 letter words starting with SU works the same way. The wider set begins at five letter words in English.
| Smaak | Smack | Smaik | Small |
| Smalm | Smalt | Smarm | Smart |
| Smash | Smaze | Smear | Smeek |
| Smees | Smeik | Smeke | Smell |
| Smelt | Smerk | Smews | Smile |
| Smirk | Smirr | Smirs | Smite |
| Smith | Smits | Smock | Smogs |
| Smoke | Smoko | Smoky | Smolt |
| Smoor | Smoot | Smore | Smorg |
| Smote | Smout | Smowt | Smugs |
| Smurs | Smush | Smuts |
5 Letter Words Starting With SM By Third Letter
O leads the third slot, with A and E close behind and nothing else in play. 5 letter words starting with ST works the same way.
5 Letter Words Starting With SMA
| Smack | Small | Smart |
| Smash | Smaak | Smaik |
| Smalm | Smalt | Smarm |
| Smaze |
5 Letter Words Starting With SME
| Smell | Smear | Smelt |
| Smeek | Smees | Smeik |
| Smeke | Smerk | Smews |
5 Letter Words Starting With SMO
| Smoke | Smock | Smoky |
| Smoko | Smolt | Smoot |
| Smote | Smout | Smogs |
| Smoor | Smore | Smorg |
| Smowt |
5 Letter Words Starting With SM For Wordle
Every word here uses five different letters, which matters because half the SM set repeats one. 5 letter words starting with SH works the same way.
| Smith | Smart | Smoke |
| Smile | Smack | Smear |
| Smoky | Smirk | Smelt |
| Smite | Smock | Smote |
| Smout | Smolt | Smore |
| Smaik | Smalt | Smaze |
Small, Smell and Smoko are the traps. With only 43 words in the whole set, a wasted guess is expensive.
5 Letter Words Starting With SM For Scrabble
Z carries the top play, and Smaze tops the set at 16 points. 5 letter words starting with AM works the same way.
| Word | Points |
|---|---|
| Smaze | 16 |
| Smoky | 14 |
| Smock | 13 |
| Smack | 13 |
| Smoko | 11 |
| Smoke | 11 |
| Smirk | 11 |
| Smerk | 11 |
| Smeke | 11 |
| Smeik | 11 |
| Smeek | 11 |
| Smaik | 11 |
| Smaak | 11 |
| Smush | 10 |
| Smowt | 10 |
5 Letter Words Starting With SM And Their Meanings
Scots, Afrikaans and old dialect usage account for most of the harder entries here. 5 letter words starting with SC works the same way.
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Smaak | To like or fancy something, from Afrikaans |
| Smaik | A rogue or worthless fellow, in Scots usage |
| Smalm | To smooth down hair with grease or water |
| Smalt | A deep blue pigment made from powdered cobalt glass |
| Smarm | Flattery laid on thickly and without sincerity |
| Smaze | A mix of smoke and haze in the air |
| Smeek | Smoke, or to fill a place with it, in Scots usage |
| Smerk | An older spelling of smirk |
| Smews | Small diving ducks of northern Europe and Asia |
| Smirr | Fine drizzling rain, from Scots usage |
| Smoko | A short break from work for a cigarette or tea |
| Smolt | A young salmon at the stage it migrates to sea |
| Smoor | To smother or put out a fire, in Scots usage |
| Smoot | To pass through a narrow gap, in dialect usage |
| Smore | To smother, another Scots form of smoor |
| Smorg | A smorgasbord, shortened in casual usage |
| Smout | A small person or fish, from Scots usage |
| Smowt | Another spelling of smout, a small creature |
| Smurs | Drizzles or falls as fine rain, in dialect usage |
| Smush | To squash something into a soft mess |
FAQs
The strongest are Smith, Smart, Smoke, Smile and Smack, since none of them repeat a letter. Small, Smell and Smoko spend a slot on a repeat, so hold those back.
Test the third letter first, since O, A and E carry nearly the whole set. A grey O rules out thirteen words at once, which is a large share of a field this small.
SMO gives you Smoke, Smoky, Smock, Smote, Smolt and Smogs, along with Smoko, Smoor, Smoot, Smore, Smorg, Smout and Smowt.
The T ending gives you Smart, Smelt, Smolt and Smalt. Smoot and Smout close on T as well and are accepted in Scrabble.
The top score goes to Smaze at 16 points. Smoky reaches 14, then Smock and Smack at 13, with Smoko and Smirk at 11.
The E ending gives you Smile, Smoke, Smite and Smote. Smeke and Smore close the group and are accepted in Scrabble.
SME gives you Smear, Smell and Smelt, along with Smeek, Smees, Smeik, Smeke, Smerk and Smews.
Yes, Smolt is valid and scores 7 points. It names a young salmon at the stage when it migrates from river to sea.
