5-Letter Words Starting With A: Common Words First, Full List

Looking for 5-letter words starting with A? The most common ones are ABOUT, AFTER, AGAIN, ALONG, AMONG, ABOVE, ALONE, ALBUM, AHEAD, ALLOW, AGREE and AWARD. Our word list has 497 five-letter words that start with A; 113 of them are common answers in our Daily Word answer bank. All 113 are listed below, grouped by their second letter, followed by 189 more valid words a word game will accept and a section of rare entries for Scrabble fans.

A is a sneaky first letter. Only 6.6% of our 1,705 everyday answers start with A, far fewer than start with S (279) or C (153), yet A is the second most common letter overall and appears in 41.6% of answers. So when a puzzle confirms a green A in the first tile, you have a fairly small, well-defined group to work through, and the patterns below make it smaller still.

Most common 5-letter words starting with A

These are the 30 most frequent A-words from our answer bank, sorted by how often they appear in real English text according to wordfreq. The meanings are the short definitions our game shows after each puzzle.

Word	Short meaning
ABOUT	On the subject of something
AFTER	Later in time than
AGAIN	One more time
ALONG	Moving in a line beside
AMONG	In the middle of a group
ABOVE	Higher than something
ALONE	Without anyone else
ALBUM	A collection of songs or photos
AHEAD	In front; forward
ALLOW	To let something happen
AGREE	To have the same opinion
AWARD	A prize for doing well
AVOID	To keep away from
AGENT	A person who acts for others
APPLY	To make a formal request
ADULT	A fully grown person
APART	Separated by distance
AWARE	Knowing about something
ALIVE	Living; not dead
APPLE	A round fruit with red or green skin
ANGRY	Feeling strong displeasure
ACTOR	A person who performs roles
ASIDE	To one side
ADMIT	To confess something is true
AUDIO	Sound that is recorded or played
ARGUE	To disagree with words
AWFUL	Very bad or unpleasant
ANGEL	A heavenly being with wings
ANGER	A strong feeling of displeasure
ANGLE	The space between two meeting lines

Many of these are small function words (ABOUT, AFTER, AGAIN, AMONG) that you use every day without thinking of them as puzzle material. That is exactly why they are easy to overlook in a guessing game: when you picture "a word starting with A", your mind jumps to nouns like APPLE or ARROW, not to ALONG or AHEAD.

Patterns in words that start with A

The second letter is almost always a consonant

This is the single most useful fact on the page. Of all 497 valid A-words, only 8.9% have a vowel in the second slot. Among the 113 common answers, just six do: AISLE, AORTA, AUDIO, AUDIT, AUGER and AURAL. So once you have a green A at the start, spend your next guess on consonants for the second slot, not vowels.

L, B, D, M and N lead

The most common second letter is L, with 69 valid words and 21 common answers: ALARM, ALBUM, ALERT, ALIEN, ALIVE, ALLOW, ALONE, ALOUD and more. After that come B, D, M and N with 10 common answers each (ABOUT, ADULT, AMONG, ANGRY). In the full valid list, R is second with 49 words, ahead of M (43), N (41) and B (36). A guess that puts L or N in the second spot is usually a good second move.

Where the vowels go

With A taking the first slot and a consonant usually in the second, the third slot carries the next vowel: 62 of the 113 common A-words have a vowel there, as in ABATE, ALIVE, AMUSE and AVOID. Counting letters after the first A, E is the most frequent (it appears in 52 of the 113 common words), followed by L (38), O (34), R (33) and T (32).

How A-words end

The most common last letter is E, with 31 common answers (ABOVE, ALONE, AGREE, ASIDE), then T (18, such as ADULT, ALERT, AUDIT), R (11, such as AFTER, ACTOR, ALTAR) and Y (10, such as ANGRY, ALLEY, APPLY). If you have the A and the vowel pattern but are stuck on the end, test E or T.

Double A is common

A surprising 27 common answers contain a second A, such as AGAIN, AHEAD, ALARM, APART, ARENA, AWARD and AWARE. A green A at the start does not rule out another one, so keep it in mind when your other vowels come back gray.

All 113 common 5-letter words starting with A

Here is every A-word in our Daily Word answer bank, grouped by the first two letters and listed alphabetically. These are the best candidates when the first tile is green, because daily answers always come from everyday vocabulary.

AB (10): ABACK, ABATE, ABBEY, ABBOT, ABHOR, ABIDE, ABODE, ABOUT, ABOVE, ABYSS

AC (3): ACORN, ACTOR, ACUTE

AD (10): ADAGE, ADAPT, ADDER, ADEPT, ADMIT, ADOBE, ADOPT, ADORE, ADORN, ADULT

AF (4): AFFIX, AFOOT, AFOUL, AFTER

AG (6): AGAIN, AGATE, AGAVE, AGENT, AGILE, AGREE

AH (1): AHEAD

AI (1): AISLE

AL (21): ALARM, ALBUM, ALERT, ALGAE, ALIAS, ALIBI, ALIEN, ALIGN, ALIKE, ALIVE, ALLEY, ALLOT, ALLOW, ALLOY, ALOFT, ALONE, ALONG, ALOOF, ALOUD, ALTAR, ALTER

AM (10): AMASS, AMAZE, AMBER, AMEND, AMISS, AMITY, AMONG, AMPLE, AMPLY, AMUSE

AN (10): ANGEL, ANGER, ANGLE, ANGRY, ANGST, ANISE, ANKLE, ANNEX, ANNOY, ANVIL

AO (1): AORTA

AP (4): APART, APPLE, APPLY, APRON

AR (9): ARBOR, ARENA, ARGUE, ARISE, ARMOR, AROMA, ARRAY, ARROW, ARTSY

AS (4): ASIDE, ASKEW, ASPEN, ASSET

AT (4): ATLAS, ATOLL, ATONE, ATTIC

AU (4): AUDIO, AUDIT, AUGER, AURAL

AV (3): AVAIL, AVERT, AVOID

AW (6): AWAIT, AWAKE, AWARD, AWARE, AWASH, AWFUL

AX (1): AXIOM

AZ (1): AZURE

More valid 5-letter words beginning with A

The following 189 words are in the public-domain ENABLE word list, so they count as valid guesses in word games built on it, including our Daily Word. They are not in our answer bank, often because they are plurals or past forms (ACRES, ADDED, ASKED), foreign borrowings (ADIEU, ADIOS, AMIGO) or specialist terms (AXIAL, ANODE, AMINO). Within each group they are sorted from most to least common.

AA (1): AARGH

AB (11): ABUSE, ABORT, ABUZZ, ABUTS, ABAFT, ABACA, ABELE, ABEAM, ABLES, ABETS, ABASE

AC (12): ACTED, ACRES, ACIDS, ACHES, ACTIN, ACHED, ACRID, ACING, ACARI, ACHOO, ACNES, ACKEE

AD (7): ADDED, ADIEU, ADIOS, ADOBO, ADDLE, ADOWN, ADMAN

AE (4): AEGIS, AEDES, AEONS, AERIE

AF (2): AFIRE, AFORE

AG (11): AGING, AGONY, AGORA, AGAPE, AGGRO, AGGER, AGERS, AGLOW, AGIOS, AGAMA, AGONE

AH (1): AHOLD

AI (9): AIMED, AIRED, AIDED, AIDES, AIOLI, AIMER, AIDER, AILED, AITCH

AK (1): AKELA

AL (22): ALPHA, ALOHA, ALDER, ALKYL, ALGAL, ALLAY, ALTHO, ALWAY, ALINE, ALTOS, ALUMS, ALEPH, ALIYA, ALLEE, ALLYL, ALAND, ALOES, ALANG, ALACK, ALKYD, ALDOL, ALIST

AM (18): AMINO, AMOUR, AMIGO, AMINE, AMEER, AMBIT, AMIDE, AMBLE, AMICI, AMUCK, AMBOS, AMENT, AMIDO, AMIES, AMEBA, AMIRS, AMMOS, AMICE

AN (16): ANIME, ANODE, ANIMA, ANION, ANTSY, ANNUL, ANTIC, ANTIS, ANENT, ANNAS, ANTES, ANGAS, ANCON, ANNAL, ANOLE, ANTED

AP (11): APTLY, APNEA, APPEL, APACE, APHID, APHIS, APING, APRES, APTER, APPAL, APSES

AQ (2): AQUAE, AQUAS

AR (18): AREAS, ARMED, AROSE, ARSON, ARIAS, ARGON, ARRAS, ARLES, AREAL, ARDOR, ARRIS, ARGOT, ARECA, ARETE, ARCED, ARCUS, ARMER, ARHAT

AS (13): ASKED, ASHES, ASSAY, ASCOT, ASTER, ASHEN, ASANA, ASPIC, ASKER, ASPER, ASSAI, ASTIR, ASCUS

AT (5): ATOMS, ATRIA, ATMAN, ATTAR, ATOPY

AU (10): AUNTS, AUNTY, AUTOS, AUGUR, AUGHT, AURAS, AURUM, AUXIN, AURIC, AURIS

AV (6): AVANT, AVIAN, AVAST, AVION, AVERS, AVGAS

AW (1): AWOKE

AX (7): AXIAL, AXLES, AXONS, AXING, AXILS, AXION, AXELS

AZ (1): AZIDE

Rare and archaic valid words starting with A (185)

These entries are valid in the ENABLE list but seldom seen today. They can help in Scrabble-type games or as probe guesses, but they will not be a daily answer.

AA (2): AAHED, AALII

AB (14): ABACI, ABAKA, ABAMP, ABASH, ABBES, ABLER, ABMHO, ABOHM, ABOIL, ABOMA, ABOON, ABRIS, ABYES, ABYSM

AC (11): ACERB, ACETA, ACIDY, ACINI, ACMES, ACMIC, ACNED, ACOCK, ACOLD, ACRED, ACYLS

AD (10): ADDAX, ADEEM, ADITS, ADMEN, ADMIX, ADOZE, ADUNC, ADUST, ADYTA, ADZES

AE (1): AECIA

AF (2): AFARS, AFRIT

AG (13): AGARS, AGAZE, AGENE, AGHAS, AGISM, AGIST, AGLEE, AGLET, AGLEY, AGMAS, AGONS, AGRIA, AGUES

AH (1): AHULL

AI (5): AIRER, AIRNS, AIRTH, AIRTS, AIVER

AJ (2): AJIVA, AJUGA

AK (2): AKEES, AKENE

AL (23): ALANE, ALANT, ALARY, ALATE, ALBAS, ALCID, ALECS, ALEFS, ALFAS, ALGAS, ALGID, ALGIN, ALGOR, ALGUM, ALIFS, ALLOD, ALMAH, ALMEH, ALMES, ALMUD, ALMUG, ALOIN, ALULA

AM (14): AMAHS, AMAIN, AMBRY, AMENS, AMIAS, AMIDS, AMINS, AMNIA, AMNIC, AMOKS, AMOLE, AMORT, AMPUL, AMYLS

AN (15): ANEAR, ANELE, ANILE, ANILS, ANIMI, ANKHS, ANKUS, ANLAS, ANOAS, ANOMY, ANSAE, ANTAE, ANTAS, ANTRA, ANTRE

AP (9): APEAK, APEEK, APERS, APERY, APIAN, APISH, APODS, APORT, APSIS

AR (19): ARAKS, ARDEB, AREAE, AREIC, ARGAL, ARGIL, ARGLE, ARGOL, ARILS, ARMET, AROID, ARPEN, ARSIS, ARTAL, ARTEL, ARUMS, ARVAL, ARVOS, ARYLS

AS (6): ASDIC, ASHED, ASKOI, ASKOS, ASPIS, ASYLA

AT (7): ATAPS, ATAXY, ATILT, ATMAS, ATOMY, ATONY, ATRIP

AU (6): AUDAD, AULIC, AURAE, AURAR, AUREI, AURES

AV (3): AVENS, AVISO, AVOWS

AW (3): AWING, AWNED, AWOLS

AX (6): AXILE, AXITE, AXLED, AXMAN, AXMEN, AXONE

AY (2): AYAHS, AYINS

AZ (9): AZANS, AZIDO, AZINE, AZLON, AZOIC, AZOLE, AZONS, AZOTE, AZOTH

Together the three groups hold 487 words. The other 10 of the 497 A-words in the full list are not printed here because they are offensive, crude or read like names.

How to use A-words in Wordle-style games

Should you start a game with an A-word? Our tests of every opener against the full answer bank say: start with a word that contains A, but not necessarily one that starts with it. ARISE ranks fourth of 8,493 openers we ranked and ALERT is a top-20 word, but A is the first letter of only 6.6% of answers, while it is the second letter of 13.6% and the third letter of 15.0%. That is why RAISE, which puts A second, scores better than ARISE. AUDIO, a famous A-word opener, ranks only 4,170th in our data. Full numbers are in our starting word rankings.

Once you know the word starts with A, a quick routine helps:

1. Test L and N in the second slot. Between them they cover 31 of the 113 common answers. A word like ALONE or ANGLE checks both a second-letter consonant and a common ending.
2. Place a vowel in the third slot. More than half of common A-words have one there.
3. Try E or T at the end. They finish 49 of the 113 common A-words.
4. Remember the second A. If you are short on vowels, words like ARENA, AROMA, ALARM or ATLAS are real possibilities.
5. Use rare words only as probes. A valid but unusual word can test letters you need, but the final answer will be a common word from the list above.

A worked example: the board shows a green A first, a yellow R and gray S, T and E. Common candidates that fit include ARBOR, ARMOR, ARRAY, ARROW and ACORN, but R is yellow, so it cannot be in the slot you guessed. If your R was second, ARBOR, ARMOR, ARRAY and ARROW are out, which leaves ACORN and other words with R later in the word. The list above makes this kind of check take seconds.

Practice is the fastest teacher. Our free Daily Word gives you one new word a day at midnight New York time, the same puzzle for everyone, with six guesses and green, yellow and gray tiles. When you finish you see the meaning of the word, your stats and your streak, and you can share your colored grid without giving the answer away.

A-words by theme, for quick recall

When the list feels too long, it helps to remember a few clusters. Feelings and states: ANGRY, ALIVE, AWAKE, AWARE, ALONE, ALOOF, ANGST. Places and things in a building: ABBEY, AISLE, ATTIC, ALLEY, ALTAR, ARENA. Nature: ACORN, ASPEN, AGAVE, ALGAE, AMBER, APPLE, ADDER. Movement and position: ABOVE, AHEAD, ALOFT, APART, ASIDE, ASKEW, AFOOT. Actions: ADAPT, ADOPT, ADMIT, AVOID, AWAIT, ARGUE, ALTER. Grouping words this way makes it easier to come up with a fresh guess when your mind goes blank.

For more lists built the same way, see 5-letter words starting with S, the most common first letter of all, and 5-letter words ending in E. New to the game? Read how to play Wordle, then try a sudoku or the daily crossword when you want a different kind of puzzle.

Where these words come from

All lists here were generated by a script, not typed by hand. Valid words come from the ENABLE word list, a public-domain list of English words used by many word games; it has 8,636 five-letter words. Common words come from our Daily Word answer bank of 1,705 everyday five-letter words, each with a short meaning. To sort by familiarity we used wordfreq, an open-source dataset of how often words appear in real text. Answers in our game are always common words from the bank, never names, plurals or offensive words.

Wordle is a trademark of The New York Times Company. 77.today and Daily Word are not affiliated with or endorsed by The New York Times.