Word Lists · O + X
5 Letter Words With O and X
Every five-letter word that contains both O and X, in any position — answer-eligible words flagged in green, tap any word to play.
How Many 5-Letter Words Have O and X?
73 words contain both O and X, 13 of them answer-eligible. If you need a follow-up that keeps both letters, EXTOL does the most work — about 92.1% of the remaining pool cleared.
Nearly half the list agrees on one square: X in the 3rd, 34 words out of 73 (BOXER, BUXOM, TOXIC, TOXIN among them). It is the percentage play when nothing else separates two candidates.
58 words on this list place O and X in neighbouring squares, BOXER, BUXOM, DETOX, EPOXY included — a pattern worth probing before you assume the two are far apart.
93% of these words carry two or more vowels, so vowel coverage is largely settled — spend the remaining guesses on consonants.
Green-dotted words are answer-eligible — the everyday vocabulary the daily puzzle actually draws from — while hollow-dotted words are valid guesses you can play but that will never be the solution. Flip on Answers only to focus on the 13 words that can truly win the board.
Best Wordle Words With O and X
When O and X are both in play, the strongest guess keeps them and rules out as many remaining answers as possible. These three score highest across all 2296 possible answers:
- 01 EXTOL — eliminates about 92.1% of remaining answers on average.
- 02 DETOX — eliminates about 91.2% of remaining answers on average.
- 03 OXIDE — eliminates about 91.2% of remaining answers on average.
The Full List, Grouped by First Letter
With 18 opening letters in play and O leading at just 11 words, this list rewards excluding greys over guessing the opening.
O/X Words That Have Been Wordle Answers
This shape is rare in the daily puzzle. In 1916 Wordles, only 11 words with O and X have been the answer: DETOX (#1585, 2025-10-21), EXTOL (#1524, 2025-08-21), INBOX (#1400, 2025-04-19), BOXER (#1273, 2024-12-13), TOXIN (#1001, 2024-03-16), BORAX (#662, 2023-04-12), TOXIC (#624, 2023-03-05), AXIOM (#520, 2022-11-21), OXIDE (#306, 2022-04-21), EPOXY (#280, 2022-03-26). That leaves 2 candidates the puzzle has never used — AXION, BUXOM.
| Puzzle | Date | Answer |
|---|---|---|
| #1585 | 2025-10-21 | DETOX |
| #1524 | 2025-08-21 | EXTOL |
| #1400 | 2025-04-19 | INBOX |
| #1273 | 2024-12-13 | BOXER |
| #1001 | 2024-03-16 | TOXIN |
| #662 | 2023-04-12 | BORAX |
| #624 | 2023-03-05 | TOXIC |
| #520 | 2022-11-21 | AXIOM |
| #306 | 2022-04-21 | OXIDE |
| #280 | 2022-03-26 | EPOXY |
| #213 | 2022-01-18 | PROXY |
Never used as an answer
2 answer-eligible O/X words have never been the solution: AXION, BUXOM . Wordle avoided repeats entirely for its first 1,688 puzzles and only began reusing old answers in February 2026 — 24 times so far. An unused word is still the likelier bet, just no longer a certainty; see how repeats work for the full picture.
The other 60 words on this list are valid guesses the game accepts but never chooses as a solution. They still make useful probes for placing O and X, but when you guess to win, a green-dotted answer word is the smarter pick.
Where O and X Land in 5-Letter Words
The whole puzzle now is placement, so here is exactly where each letter tends to sit across the 73 words. Try the busiest square first.
| Position | Words with O here | Words with X here |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | 11 | 4 |
| 2nd | 33 | 17 |
| 3rd | 8 | 34 |
| 4th | 20 | 4 |
| 5th | 2 | 15 |
Play a candidate that seats each letter in its busiest square and one of two good things happens: a tile turns green and you have locked a position, or it turns yellow again and you have eliminated the single most likely slot in one move.
How to Use These Words to Win Wordle
- Lead with the busiest square. O in slot 2 covers 33 of these 73 words and X in slot 3 covers 34 — try that shape before rarer placements.
- Favor distinct letters early. 66 of the 73 words here use five different letters and 7 repeat one.
- Lean toward an unused word. Repeats stayed at zero until February 2026 and number just 24 in 1916 puzzles, so the 2 never-used O/X words above remain the stronger bet.
Full strategy lives in the how-to-play guide, and you can practice any time on the unlimited Wordle board.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many 5-letter words have O and X?
There are 73 valid five-letter words that contain both O and X in any position, and 13 of them can be a Wordle answer. Turn on "Answers only" above to narrow the list to answer-eligible words.
What is the best word to guess with O and X confirmed?
EXTOL — it keeps both letters and still eliminates about 92.1% of the remaining answer pool. EXTOL, DETOX, OXIDE are the top three by that measure. See more best Wordle starting words.
Where do O and X usually sit in these words?
O most often lands in the 2nd position (33 of 73 words) and X in the 3rd (34). That is a strong enough lean to guess on directly.
Which O/X words have been Wordle answers?
11 of them, out of 1916 puzzles so far. The most recent was DETOX (#1585) on 2025-10-21, and the first was PROXY on 2022-01-18. 2 answer-eligible words have never been used, including AXION, BUXOM. Browse the full past Wordle answers archive.
Do these words work in hard mode?
Yes. Once O and X show as present you must reuse them, so this is exactly your hard-mode candidate set. 66 of the 73 words use five distinct letters and 7 repeat one, which matters because hard mode will not let you drop a confirmed letter to test elsewhere — see the how-to-play guide.
Are there 5-letter words with O and X next to each other?
58 of the 73 words place O and X in neighbouring squares: AXOID, AXONE, AXONS, BOXED, BOXEN, BOXER, among others. The remaining 15 keep at least one square between them.
How many O/X words have no repeated letters?
66 of the 73. Those are the ones that reveal the most board per guess, so they are the better probes early on. The other 7 double up on some letter, and 93% of the full list carries two or more vowels. For a full clue-by-clue solve, send your board to the Wordle Solver.