English has 264 five letter words with Y as the second letter, the _ Y _ _ _ pattern. S, H, L and T open 101 of them between them. A green Y in square two narrows the board further than almost any other confirmed letter. One guess reduces roughly 12,000 possible words to 264.
Common 5 Letter Words With Y as the Second Letter
A five letter word with Y as the second letter has Y in square two, the _ Y _ _ _ pattern. English has 264 of them once proper nouns come out, and 86 turn up frequently enough to be worth a guess. CYCLE, CYBER, HYENA, NYLON and SYRUP are the ones most players try first.
These 86 common 5 letter words with Y as the second letter make up the pool a Wordle answer comes from. STYLE, RHYME, THYME, ABYSS and BUYER all look like they belong here. None of the five does, because each puts the Y in square three or four.
| BYLAW | BYRES | BYTES | BYWAY |
| CYANO | CYANS | CYBER | CYCAD |
| CYCLE | CYDER | CYNIC | CYSTS |
| DYADS | DYERS | DYING | DYKES |
| DYNES | EYING | EYRIE | GYBES |
| GYRAL | GYROS | GYRUS | GYVES |
| HYDRA | HYDRO | HYENA | HYMEN |
| HYMNS | HYOID | HYPED | HYPER |
| HYPES | HYPOS | HYRAX | HYSON |
| HYTHE | KYAKS | KYTES | LYING |
| LYMPH | LYRES | LYRIC | LYSIS |
| LYSOL | LYTIC | MYALL | MYLAR |
| MYNAH | MYNAS | MYOMA | MYOPE |
| MYRRH | MYSID | MYTHS | NYLON |
| NYMPH | PYGMY | PYLON | PYRES |
| PYREX | PYRIC | PYXIS | RYOTS |
| SYLPH | SYLVA | SYNCH | SYNCS |
| SYNOD | SYNTH | SYRUP | SYSOP |
| TYING | TYKES | TYLER | TYPAL |
| TYPED | TYPES | TYPIC | TYPOS |
| TYRES | TYROS | TYTHE | VYING |
| WYNDS | XYLEM |
Work down this list before you open the full set below, since a daily answer almost never comes from outside it.
5 Letter Words With Y as the Second Letter by First Letter
All 264 five letter words with Y as the second letter appear here under their first letter. Beyond the common 86, the set adds Scots and dialect spellings, Greek-derived technical terms and borrowed nouns. Wordle takes those as guesses but never sets them as answers. S alone supplies 30, and H, L and T supply 71 more between them.
A
| AYAHS | AYAYA | AYELP | AYGRE | AYINS |
| AYONT | AYRES | AYRIE |
B
| BYDED | BYDES | BYKED | BYKES | BYLAW |
| BYRES | BYRLS | BYSSI | BYTES | BYWAY |
C
| CYANO | CYANS | CYBER | CYCAD | CYCAS |
| CYCLE | CYCLO | CYDER | CYLIX | CYMAE |
| CYMAR | CYMAS | CYMES | CYMOL | CYNIC |
| CYSTS | CYTES | CYTON |
D
| DYADS | DYERS | DYING | DYKED | DYKES |
| DYKON | DYNEL | DYNES |
E
| EYASS | EYERS | EYING | EYOTS | EYRAS |
| EYRES | EYRIE | EYRIR |
F
| FYCES | FYKED | FYKES | FYLES | FYRDS |
| FYTTE |
G
| GYALS | GYANS | GYBED | GYBES | GYELD |
| GYMPS | GYNAE | GYNIE | GYNNY | GYNOS |
| GYOZA | GYRAL | GYRED | GYRES | GYRON |
| GYROS | GYRUS | GYTES | GYVED | GYVES |
H
| HYDRA | HYDRO | HYENA | HYENS | HYGGE |
| HYING | HYKES | HYLAS | HYLEG | HYLES |
| HYLIC | HYMEN | HYMNS | HYNDE | HYOID |
| HYPED | HYPER | HYPES | HYPHA | HYPHY |
| HYPOS | HYRAX | HYSON | HYTHE |
K
| KYACK | KYAKS | KYANG | KYARS | KYATS |
| KYBOS | KYDST | KYLES | KYLIE | KYLIN |
| KYLIX | KYLOE | KYNDE | KYNDS | KYPES |
| KYRIE | KYTES | KYTHE |
L
| LYAMS | LYARD | LYART | LYASE | LYCEA |
| LYCEE | LYCRA | LYING | LYMES | LYMPH |
| LYNES | LYRES | LYRIC | LYSED | LYSES |
| LYSIN | LYSIS | LYSOL | LYSSA | LYTED |
| LYTES | LYTHE | LYTIC | LYTTA |
M
| MYALL | MYLAR | MYNAH | MYNAS | MYOID |
| MYOMA | MYOPE | MYOPS | MYOPY | MYRRH |
| MYSID | MYTHI | MYTHS | MYTHY | MYXOS |
N
| NYALA | NYING | NYLON | NYMPH | NYSSA |
O
| OYERS |
P
| PYATS | PYETS | PYGAL | PYGMY | PYINS |
| PYLON | PYNED | PYNES | PYOID | PYOTS |
| PYRAL | PYRAN | PYRES | PYREX | PYRIC |
| PYROS | PYXED | PYXES | PYXIE | PYXIS |
R
| RYALS | RYBAT | RYKED | RYKES | RYMME |
| RYNDS | RYOTS | RYPER |
S
| SYBBE | SYBIL | SYBOE | SYBOW | SYCEE |
| SYCES | SYCON | SYENS | SYKER | SYKES |
| SYLIS | SYLPH | SYLVA | SYMAR | SYNCH |
| SYNCS | SYNDS | SYNED | SYNES | SYNOD |
| SYNTH | SYPED | SYPES | SYPHS | SYRAH |
| SYREN | SYRUP | SYSOP | SYTHE | SYVER |
T
| TYEES | TYERS | TYING | TYIYN | TYKES |
| TYLER | TYMPS | TYNDE | TYNED | TYNES |
| TYPAL | TYPED | TYPES | TYPEY | TYPIC |
| TYPOS | TYPPS | TYPTO | TYRAN | TYRED |
| TYRES | TYROS | TYTHE |
V
| VYING |
W
| WYLED | WYLES | WYNDS | WYNNS | WYTED |
| WYTES |
X
| XYLAN | XYLEM | XYLIC | XYLOL | XYLYL |
| XYSTI | XYSTS |
Z
| ZYGAL | ZYGON | ZYMES | ZYMIC |
Browse Related Word Lists
- Five Letter Words With A As The Second Letter
- 5 Letter Words With E As Second Letter
- Five Letter Words With I As The Second Letter
- Five Letter Words With O As The Second Letter
- Five Letter Words With U As The Second Letter
- Five Letter Words With N As The Second Letter
5 Letter Words With Y as the Second Letter by Last Letter
The final square narrows this pattern faster than anything else, because 102 of the 264 words end in S. Nearly all of those pluralise a four letter word, so a grey S removes 39 percent of the remaining words in one guess. E and D take 28 each, and the remaining sixteen endings share 106 words between them.
| Ending | How many | Try these first |
|---|---|---|
| S | 102 | BYTES CYSTS HYMNS MYTHS TYPES |
| E | 28 | CYCLE HYENA LYASE MYOPE SYTHE |
| D | 28 | GYBED HYPED PYNED SYNED TYPED |
| N | 16 | CYTON HYMEN NYLON PYLON ZYGON |
| A | 13 | GYOZA HYDRA HYPHA MYOMA NYALA |
| L | 12 | CYMOL GYRAL MYALL PYGAL XYLOL |
| R | 11 | CYBER HYPER MYLAR SYVER TYLER |
| G | 9 | DYING EYING HYING LYING VYING |
| C | 8 | CYNIC HYLIC LYRIC LYTIC PYRIC |
| H | 8 | MYNAH MYRRH NYMPH SYLPH SYRAH |
Ending in Y: BYWAY GYNNY HYPHY MYOPY MYTHY PYGMY TYPEY
The rare endings: four words end in T, four in O, four in X, three in P, three in I, two in W, one in K and one in M. TYPTO, HYRAX, PYREX, SYRUP and XYLEM are the ones worth remembering.
5 Letter Words With Y as the Second Letter and No Vowels
28 of the 264 words contain no A, E, I, O or U at all, more than one in ten. Players lose turns here for that reason: after ruling out every vowel, 28 answers remain. The Y supplies the only vowel sound in every one of them.
| BYRLS | CYSTS | FYRDS | GYMPS |
| GYNNY | HYMNS | HYPHY | KYDST |
| KYNDS | LYMPH | MYRRH | MYTHS |
| MYTHY | NYMPH | PYGMY | RYNDS |
| SYLPH | SYNCH | SYNCS | SYNDS |
| SYNTH | SYPHS | TYMPS | TYPPS |
| WYNDS | WYNNS | XYLYL | XYSTS |
Words with two Y’s: AYAYA BYWAY GYNNY HYPHY MYOPY MYTHY PYGMY TYIYN TYPEY XYLYL. A yellow Y alongside a green one in square two points straight at these ten.
Words containing R: 61 of the 264 contain an R, and 33 of those put it in square three: BYRES, GYRAL, LYRES, PYRES and TYRES.
Words containing O: 41 contain an O, and 24 of those put it in square four: CYTON, NYLON, PYLON, SYNOD and ZYGON.
Where the Second Letter Y Actually Falls
Most lists on this pattern get the position wrong, and the error costs a turn. Square two means the second letter counted from the left, and nothing separates it from the first letter. A word with Y in square three puts it near the front instead, which makes a different pattern and a different list.
| Word | Y falls in square | Fits _ Y _ _ _ |
|---|---|---|
| CYCLE | Two | Yes |
| HYENA | Two | Yes |
| STYLE | Three | No |
| RHYME | Three | No |
| ABYSS | Three | No |
| BUYER | Three | No |
Counting the letters out separates the two groups at once.
STYLE has Y in the third square, so it does not fit the _ Y _ _ _ pattern. โ
CYCLE has Y in the second square, which is what this list means. โ
If your board shows a green Y in square three instead, the word you want is on a different list. Guessing from this one wastes a row.
How Many 5 Letter Words Have Y as the Second Letter
English has 264 five letter words with Y in the second square once proper nouns and slurs are removed from the count. About 86 of the 264 count as words an ordinary reader would recognise. The other 178 are Scots and dialect spellings, Greek-derived technical terms and borrowed nouns, which word games take as guesses but never set as answers. The first letter divides the set more evenly than any other.
| First letter | Words | Share of the set |
|---|---|---|
| S | 30 | 11% |
| H | 24 | 9% |
| L | 24 | 9% |
| T | 23 | 9% |
| G | 20 | 8% |
| P | 20 | 8% |
| C | 18 | 7% |
| K | 18 | 7% |
| M | 15 | 6% |
| B | 10 | 4% |
| The other eleven letters | 62 | 23% |
High Scoring Scrabble Words With Y as the Second Letter
The Y scores four points on its own, so every word on this pattern beats an average rack. Z and X raise it further, and ZYMIC at 21 outscores every other five letter word with Y in the second square.
| Word | Score | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| ZYMIC | 21 | Relating to fermentation or enzymes |
| HYPHY | 19 | A style of Bay Area hip hop, or wild and excitable |
| KYLIX | 19 | A shallow two-handled drinking cup from ancient Greece |
| ZYMES | 19 | Ferments or enzymes |
| GYOZA | 18 | A Japanese fried dumpling |
| HYRAX | 18 | A small thickset African mammal related to the elephant |
| KYACK | 18 | A pack saddle bag used on horses |
| PYXED | 18 | Tested for purity, said of coinage |
| XYLYL | 18 | A chemical group derived from xylene |
| ZYGAL | 18 | Shaped like a yoke, said of brain structures |
| ZYGON | 18 | A connecting bar between two brain fissures |
| CYLIX | 17 | A shallow Greek drinking cup, also spelled kylix |
| MYXOS | 17 | Slimy moulds, plural of myxo |
| PYREX | 17 | Heat-resistant glassware |
5 Letter Words With Y as the Second Letter and Meanings
Plenty of the 5 letter words with Y as the second letter look familiar without being definable. A word you cannot define will not surface under time pressure. GYRAL, HYLIC, LYSSA and PYXIS are four such words. The 55 definitions below cover the ones most worth knowing mid-round.
| Word | What it means |
|---|---|
| AYAHS | Nursemaids or maids in South Asia and parts of Africa |
| BYLAW | A rule made by a local authority or an organisation |
| BYRES | Cowsheds |
| BYSSI | Fine fibres by which mussels attach to rock |
| CYANO | Relating to the chemical group CN, or to a blue colour |
| CYCAD | A palm-like plant that predates flowering trees |
| CYDER | An older spelling of cider |
| CYLIX | A shallow two-handled Greek drinking cup |
| CYMAR | A loose light robe worn by women in the seventeenth century |
| CYNIC | Someone who doubts other people’s motives |
| CYTON | The main body of a nerve cell |
| DYADS | Pairs of units treated as one |
| DYKON | A gay icon, in informal use |
| DYNEL | A synthetic textile fibre |
| EYASS | A young hawk taken from the nest for training |
| EYRIE | The nest of a bird of prey on a cliff or crag |
| EYOTS | Small islands in a river |
| FYRDS | Anglo-Saxon militias raised for local defence |
| FYTTE | A section of an old poem or ballad |
| GYOZA | A Japanese fried dumpling |
| GYRAL | Moving in a circle or spiral |
| GYRON | A triangular division on a heraldic shield |
| GYRUS | A ridge on the surface of the brain |
| GYVES | Shackles for the legs |
| HYGGE | A Danish sense of cosy contentment |
| HYLEG | The ruling planet at birth in older astrology |
| HYLIC | Relating to matter rather than spirit |
| HYMEN | A membrane at the opening of the vagina |
| HYOID | A U-shaped bone at the base of the tongue |
| HYPHA | A single filament of a fungus |
| HYRAX | A small thickset African mammal related to the elephant |
| HYSON | A green tea from China |
| HYTHE | A small haven or landing place on a river |
| KYACK | A pack saddle bag used on horses |
| KYLIE | A curved Australian throwing stick |
| KYRIE | A short prayer at the start of the Latin mass |
| KYTHE | To make known or reveal, in Scots use |
| LYARD | Streaked with grey, said of hair |
| LYASE | An enzyme that splits chemical bonds without water |
| LYSIN | A substance that destroys cells |
| LYSSA | Rabies, in older medical use |
| LYTTA | A strip of cartilage under a dog’s tongue |
| MYALL | An Australian acacia with scented wood |
| MYLAR | A strong polyester film |
| MYNAH | A talking bird of the starling family |
| MYOMA | A benign tumour of muscle tissue |
| MYOPE | A short-sighted person |
| MYRRH | A fragrant gum resin used in perfume and incense |
| MYSID | A small shrimp-like crustacean |
| NYALA | A spiral-horned antelope of southern Africa |
| PYGAL | Relating to the rump, especially in turtles |
| PYXIS | A small box for holding drugs or jewels |
| SYLPH | A slender graceful woman, or an air spirit |
| SYLVA | The trees of a region taken together |
| SYSOP | The operator of a computer system or bulletin board |
| TYIYN | A currency unit of Kyrgyzstan |
FAQs
The common 5 letter words with Y as the second letter number 86 in total. Ten of those account for most searches: CYCLE, CYBER, HYENA, NYLON, SYRUP, TYPES, MYTHS, LYRIC, HYPER and DYING. Each one puts the Y in square two, and CYCLE, HYENA and NYLON have all been set as Wordle answers. Run these ten before you spend a guess on anything from the longer list.
English contains 264 five letter words with Y as the second letter, once proper nouns and slurs come out of the count. About 86 of the 264 count as words an ordinary reader would recognise on sight. The other 178 cover Scots and dialect spellings, Greek-derived technical terms and borrowed nouns. Word games accept those as guesses without ever setting them as answers.
No, STYLE does not have Y as the second letter. The word spells out S-T-Y-L-E, which puts the Y in the third square instead. RHYME, THYME, ABYSS and BUYER trip players the same way, and none of the four fits the _ Y _ _ _ pattern. CYCLE and HYENA do fit it, because nothing separates the first letter from the Y.
Yes, 28 five letter words with Y as the second letter contain no vowel at all. That is more than one in ten of the whole set. LYMPH, MYRRH, MYTHS, NYMPH, PYGMY, SYLPH, SYNTH and WYNDS are the ones in ordinary use. After ruling out A, E, I, O and U, the row looks unsolvable until you remember the Y supplies the vowel sound.
Ten five letter words carry a second Y alongside the one in square two: AYAYA, BYWAY, GYNNY, HYPHY, MYOPY, MYTHY, PYGMY, TYIYN, TYPEY and XYLYL. PYGMY and BYWAY turn up most in play, and the other eight rarely appear outside Scrabble. A yellow Y beside a green one in square two narrows the board to these ten in a single move.
ZYMIC scores highest among 5 letter words with Y as the second letter, at 21 points. HYPHY, KYLIX and ZYMES tie behind it on 19. GYOZA, HYRAX, KYACK, PYXED, XYLYL, ZYGAL and ZYGON each take 18. Since the Y alone scores four, words on this pattern outscore most other second-letter positions.
