5-Letter Words With LA in the Middle

91 words

The LA combination sits at the heart of words that span from everyday vocabulary to specialized terms. This central placement creates opportunities for both common words like PLANE and BLACK, and less familiar options that can catch opponents off guard in word games.

Pattern Guide

Word recommendations for board games.

Word Games

High-value words for board games

Top 5-Letter Words

FLAXY
18 pts
BLAZE

move rapidly and as if blazing

16 pts
PLAZA

mercantile establishment consisting of a carefully landscaped complex of shops representing leading merchandisers; usually includes restaurants and a convenient parking area; a modern version of the traditional marketplace

16 pts
QIBLA

a small terrorist group of Muslims in South Africa formed in the 1980s; was inspired by Ayatollah Khomeini to create an Islamic state in South Africa

16 pts
FLAKY

made of or resembling flakes

15 pts
GLAZE

become glassy or take on a glass-like appearance

15 pts
LAXLY

in a permissively lenient manner

15 pts
XYLAN
15 pts

BLAZE and PLAZA both score 16 in Scrabble but jump to 18 in Words With Friends, making them more valuable plays in WWF. JALAP and JELAB are particularly interesting—they score 18 points in WWF but don't crack the top Scrabble scores, reflecting WWF's higher J tile value. BLACK scores 16 in WWF versus its lower Scrabble ranking, so prioritize J-words when playing WWF for maximum point differential.

Wordle

5-letter words for daily puzzles

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

LATERStarter

coming at a subsequent time or stage

RELAXStarter

make less taut

LARGEStarter

in a boastful manner

PLATEStarter

(baseball) base consisting of a rubber slab where the batter stands; it must be touched by a base runner in order to score

Common Words (likely answers)

PLACECommon

a job in an organization

LATERCommon

coming at a subsequent time or stage

BLACKCommon

make or become black

CLASSCommon

a body of students who graduate together

LATER and PLATE both test common consonants L, T, and R while covering two vowels each. LARGE adds G to the mix, another frequently appearing letter in five-letter solutions.

Hidden Gems

Rare but valid words to surprise opponents

MULLA

a Muslim trained in the doctrine and law of Islam; the head of a mosque

STELA

an ancient upright stone slab bearing markings

BLAHS

a general feeling of boredom and dissatisfaction

ELAND

either of two large African antelopes of the genus Taurotragus having short spirally twisted horns in both sexes

STELA refers to an ancient upright stone slab bearing markings—think Egyptian monuments or Greek boundary stones. It's valid in both Scrabble and WWF, and most players won't expect a word ending in -ELA. The plural STELAE also works if you need to extend it.

Popular crossword answers

Words frequently used in crossword puzzles with common clues.

More "LA" Pages

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