Searching for 5-letter words starting with S for today’s Wordle? With roughly ~400 options in the Wordle dictionary, S is one of the most common starting letters. Here is what you need to know to solve it fast.
All S Wordle Words (1,056 words)
Showing 200 of 1,056 valid 5-letter Wordle words starting with S — each links to full definition and unscramble.
How Many Wordle Words Start With S?
The NYT Wordle dictionary contains 1,056 valid 5-letter words that begin with S. That is a big pool, so you need to be strategic about narrowing it down.
Top S-Words for Wordle
The most useful S-words, whether as answers or strategic guesses:
SAINT, SAUCE, SCALE, SCENE, SCOPE, SHINE, SLATE, SNARE, STARE
When I confirm S as the first letter, I typically reach for SLATE. It S-L-A-T-E tests 5 of the most frequent Wordle letters in one shot, which maximizes the information you get from that guess.
Playing S-Words Smart
S is the most common starting letter in Wordle, so getting S in green on position 1 still leaves a lot of possibilities. Focus on vowel elimination next – which vowels have you tested?
One thing I have noticed playing Wordle in 2026: the NYT has gotten better at mixing in less obvious words. Do not always default to the most common S-word. Sometimes the answer is a word you use every day but would not think of first in a word game context.
Common Patterns
S-words have tons of patterns: SH-, SL-, SM-, SN-, SP-, ST-, SW-. The most frequent by far are ST- and SH-. If you get S in green, testing T or H as the second letter is usually smart.
Helpful Tools
Stuck? Our Wordle Solver lets you enter known letters by position. The Word Unscrambler handles broader word-finding tasks, and our 5-Letter Words hub has the complete list organized by starting letter.
FAQ
What is the best Wordle word starting with S?
SLATE is my recommendation because it S-L-A-T-E tests 5 of the most frequent Wordle letters in one shot.
Is S a common starting letter in Wordle?
Yes – S is one of the most frequent starting letters with 1,056 valid words.