5-Letter Words With AY in the Middle

92 words

The AY pattern anchors some of English's most recognizable sounds—the long A that stretches through words like MAYBE and LAYER. This collection spans everyday vocabulary alongside borrowings from Hebrew, Spanish, and beyond.

Pattern Guide

Word recommendations for board games.

Word Games

High-value words for board games

Top 5-Letter Words

ZAYIN

the 7th letter of the Hebrew alphabet

17 pts

BYWAY

a side road little traveled (as in the countryside)

16 pts

KAYAK

a small canoe consisting of a light frame made watertight with animal skins; used by Eskimos

16 pts

KHAYA

African mahogany trees

15 pts

HAYEY

14 pts

CHAYA

13 pts

EMBAY

12 pts

GAYLY

in a joyous manner

12 pts

ZAYIN tops both games at 17 points, making this Hebrew letter name your best AY option. KAYAK and BYWAY show the scoring gap between games—both drop from 16 to 15 points in WWF due to K and Y value differences. EMBAY climbs from 12 to 13 in WWF, making it slightly more attractive there. MAYBE offers reliable scoring at 13 points in WWF with common tiles that are easier to draw.

Wordle

5-letter words for daily puzzles

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

STAYSStarter

a woman's close-fitting foundation garment

SPRAYStarter

a dispenser that turns a liquid (such as perfume) into a fine mist

REPAYStarter

make repayment for or return something

LAYERStarter

an abstract place usually conceived as having depth

Common Words (likely answers)

MAYBECommon

by chance

TODAYCommon

in these times

MAYORCommon

the head of a city government

STAYSCommon

a woman's close-fitting foundation garment

LAYER covers three vowels (A, E) plus the common consonants L and R, making it a strong second guess after an opener rich in different letters. SPRAY and STAYS test the frequent S placement while checking different vowel positions.

Hidden Gems

Rare but valid words to surprise opponents

BYWAY

a side road little traveled (as in the countryside)

TAYRA

long-tailed arboreal mustelid of Central America and South America

INLAY

a decoration made by fitting pieces of wood into prepared slots in a surface

SPLAY

move out of position

"These birds can splay out their toes"

BYWAY means a side road little traveled, often in the countryside. Beyond its pleasant imagery, it scores 16 points in Scrabble thanks to the B and double Y. It's a valid five-letter word that most opponents won't challenge.

More "AY" Pages

Browse words by longer letter combinations starting with "AY".

AYA AYO