5-Letter Words With OI in the Middle

100 words

The OI combination creates some of the most recognizable sounds in English—think of the sharp clarity in words like POINT or VOICE. This collection of 5-letter words with OI in the middle offers strong options for word games and reveals how this vowel pair anchors meaning across everyday and technical vocabulary.

Pattern Guide

Word recommendations for board games.

Word Games

High-value words for board games

Top 5-Letter Words

AZOIC

before the appearance of life

16 pts
ZOOID

one of the distinct individuals forming a colonial animal such as a bryozoan or hydrozoan

15 pts
HOICK
14 pts
QUOIN

expandable metal or wooden wedge used by printers to lock up a form within a chase

14 pts
QUOIT

game equipment consisting of a ring of iron or circle of rope used in playing the game of quoits

14 pts
KIKOI
13 pts
HYOID

a U-shaped bone at the base of the tongue that supports the tongue muscles

12 pts
JOINT

marijuana leaves rolled into a cigarette for smoking

12 pts

AZOIC leads both games but scores slightly higher in Words With Friends at 17 points versus 16 in Scrabble. The Q-words QUOIN and QUOIT perform well in both formats, though WWF rewards QUOIN with 16 points compared to Scrabble's 14. JOINT demonstrates this gap clearly—worth 15 points in WWF but only 12 in Scrabble, thanks to the elevated J value. When you draw high-value tiles, WWF tends to amplify your scoring potential.

Wordle

5-letter words for daily puzzles

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

TROISStarter

Common Words (likely answers)

GOINGCommon

the act of departing

DOINGCommon
POINTCommon

be oriented

VOICECommon

the sound made by the vibration of vocal folds modified by the resonance of the vocal tract

TROIS covers two vowels and includes common consonants R, T, and S, making it a solid diagnostic opener for narrowing down possibilities quickly.

Hidden Gems

Rare but valid words to surprise opponents

JOIST

beam used to support floors or roofs

OILER

a well that yields or has yielded oil

FOIST

insert surreptitiously or without warrant

"He foisted his work on me"

BROIL

be very hot, due to hot weather or exposure to the sun

"The town was broiling in the sun"

FOIST means to insert something surreptitiously or without warrant—sneaking an unwanted item into someone's possession or passing off something inferior as genuine. Beyond its useful meaning, FOIST combines common letters with the high-value F, making it both memorable and practical when you need to clear awkward tiles.

Popular crossword answers

Words frequently used in crossword puzzles with common clues.