5-Letter Words With AC in the Middle

100 words

The AC pattern sits at the heart of some of English's most satisfying words to play. From sharp consonant clusters to familiar everyday vocabulary, these five-letter combinations offer reliable options for word game players and crossword solvers alike.

Pattern Guide

Word recommendations for board games.

Word Games

High-value words for board games

Top 5-Letter Words

21 pts
QUACK

act as a medical quack or a charlatan

20 pts
JACKS

a game in which jackstones are thrown and picked up in various groups between bounces of a small rubber ball

18 pts
KYACK
18 pts
WACKY

ludicrous, foolish

17 pts
WHACK

hit hard

17 pts
KNACK

a special way of doing something

15 pts
BACCY

leaves of the tobacco plant dried and prepared for smoking or ingestion

14 pts

JACKY dominates both games but scores even higher in Words With Friends at 23 points versus 21 in Scrabble. QUACK follows the same pattern, jumping from 20 to 22 points in WWF due to the boosted J and Q values. JACAL offers a strategic WWF advantage at 18 points—it's a legitimate play that many opponents won't challenge. For consistent scoring across both games, KNACK and WHACK deliver solid points without relying on premium tile differences.

Wordle

5-letter words for daily puzzles

Good Starters (E, A, R, S, T)

TEACHStarter

impart skills or knowledge to

SPACEStarter

(printing) a block of type without a raised letter; used for spacing between words or sentences

REACHStarter

move forward or upward in order to touch; also in a metaphorical sense

TRACKStarter

any road or path affording passage especially a rough one

Common Words (likely answers)

PLACECommon

a job in an organization

BLACKCommon

make or become black

PEACECommon

the absence of mental stress or anxiety

TEACHCommon

impart skills or knowledge to

TEACH and SPACE make excellent openers, each testing a vowel pair while probing common consonants. TRACK offers strong consonant coverage if you want to prioritize the frequent T-R combination early.

Hidden Gems

Rare but valid words to surprise opponents

ACKEE

red pear-shaped tropical fruit with poisonous seeds; flesh is poisonous when unripe or overripe

PACER

a horse used to set the pace in racing

WRACK

growth of marine vegetation especially of the large forms such as rockweeds and kelp

"wrack and ruin"

GLACE

(used especially of fruits) preserved by coating with or allowing to absorb sugar

ACKEE names a tropical fruit with a dangerous secret—its flesh is poisonous when unripe or overripe, making timing everything during harvest. This Caribbean staple (Jamaica's national fruit, actually) is surprisingly valid in word games and rarely challenged. Keep it ready for boards where that double-E ending finds a home.

Popular crossword answers

Words frequently used in crossword puzzles with common clues.