5 letter words starting with C
C is the second biggest starting letter at this length, behind only S, with 665 five letter words. It is also the most forked: CH, CL, CR and a plain hard C all behave differently, so knowing the second letter matters more here than almost anywhere else.
Have the letters but not the word?
Which five letter words starting with C are worth learning?
The CR and CL clusters carry the most useful ones: CRANE, CRESS, CREPE, CLIMB, CLEFT. CRANE in particular is a favourite opening guess in letter puzzles because it uses four of the most frequent letters in the language and wastes nothing.
The full list
Alphabetical, grouped by second letter, which is usually the fastest way to find what you want.
CA words 120
- cabal
- cabby
- caber
- cabin
- cable
- cabob
- cacao
- cacas
- cache
- cacti
- caddy
- cades
- cadet
- cadge
- cadgy
- cadis
- cadre
- caeca
- cafes
- caffs
- caged
- cager
- cages
- cagey
- cahow
- caids
- cains
- caird
- cairn
- cajon
- caked
- cakes
- cakey
- calfs
- calif
- calix
- calks
- calla
- calls
- calms
- calve
- calyx
- camas
- camel
- cameo
- cames
- campi
- campo
- camps
- campy
- canal
- candy
- caned
- caner
- canes
- canid
- canna
- canny
- canoe
- canon
- canso
- canst
- canto
- cants
- canty
- caped
- caper
- capes
- caphs
- capon
- capos
- caput
- carat
- carbo
- carbs
- cards
- cared
- carer
- cares
- caret
- carex
- cargo
- carks
- carle
- carls
- carns
- carny
- carob
- carol
- carom
- carpi
- carps
- carrs
- carry
- carse
- carte
- carts
- carve
- casas
- cased
- cases
- casks
- casky
- caste
- casts
- casus
- catch
- cater
- cates
- catty
- cauld
- caulk
- cauls
- cause
- caved
- caver
- caves
- cavie
- cavil
- cawed
CE words 32
- cease
- cebid
- cecal
- cecum
- cedar
- ceded
- ceder
- cedes
- cedis
- ceiba
- ceils
- celeb
- cella
- celli
- cello
- cells
- celom
- celts
- cense
- cento
- cents
- ceorl
- cepes
- cerci
- cered
- ceres
- ceria
- ceric
- ceros
- cesta
- cesti
- cetes
CH words 99
- chads
- chafe
- chaff
- chain
- chair
- chalk
- champ
- chams
- chang
- chant
- chaos
- chape
- chaps
- chapt
- chard
- chare
- chark
- charm
- charr
- chars
- chart
- chary
- chase
- chasm
- chats
- chaws
- chays
- cheap
- cheat
- check
- cheek
- cheep
- cheer
- chefs
- chela
- chemo
- chert
- chess
- chest
- cheth
- chevy
- chews
- chewy
- chiao
- chias
- chick
- chico
- chics
- chide
- chief
- chiel
- child
- chile
- chili
- chill
- chimb
- chime
- chimp
- china
- chine
- chink
- chino
- chins
- chips
- chirk
- chirm
- chiro
- chirp
- chirr
- chits
- chive
- chivy
- chock
- choir
- choke
- choky
- cholo
- chomp
- chook
- chops
- chord
- chore
- chose
- chott
- chows
- chubs
- chuck
- chufa
- chuff
- chugs
- chump
- chums
- chunk
- churl
- churn
- churr
- chute
- chyle
- chyme
CI words 22
- cibol
- cider
- cigar
- cilia
- cimex
- cinch
- cines
- cions
- circa
- cires
- cirri
- cisco
- cissy
- cists
- cited
- citer
- cites
- civet
- civic
- civie
- civil
- civvy
CL words 71
- clach
- clack
- clade
- clads
- clags
- claim
- clamp
- clams
- clang
- clank
- clans
- claps
- clapt
- claro
- clary
- clash
- clasp
- class
- clast
- clave
- clavi
- claws
- clays
- clean
- clear
- cleat
- cleek
- clefs
- cleft
- clepe
- clept
- clerk
- clews
- click
- cliff
- clift
- climb
- clime
- cline
- cling
- clink
- clips
- clipt
- cloak
- clock
- clods
- clogs
- clomb
- clomp
- clone
- clonk
- clons
- cloot
- clops
- close
- cloth
- clots
- cloud
- clour
- clout
- clove
- clown
- cloys
- cloze
- clubs
- cluck
- clued
- clues
- clump
- clung
- clunk
CO words 167
- coach
- coact
- coala
- coals
- coaly
- coapt
- coast
- coati
- coats
- cobbs
- cobby
- cobia
- coble
- cobra
- cocas
- cocci
- cocks
- cocky
- cocoa
- cocos
- codas
- codec
- coded
- coden
- coder
- codes
- codex
- codon
- coeds
- coffs
- cogon
- cohog
- cohos
- coifs
- coign
- coils
- coins
- coirs
- coked
- cokes
- colas
- colds
- coled
- coles
- colic
- colin
- colly
- colog
- colon
- color
- colts
- colza
- comae
- comal
- comas
- combe
- combo
- combs
- comer
- comes
- comet
- comfy
- comic
- comix
- comma
- commy
- compo
- comps
- compt
- comte
- conch
- condo
- coned
- cones
- coney
- conga
- conge
- congo
- conic
- conin
- conks
- conky
- conns
- conte
- conto
- conus
- cooch
- cooed
- cooee
- cooer
- cooey
- coofs
- cooks
- cooky
- cools
- cooly
- coomb
- coons
- coops
- coopt
- coots
- copal
- coped
- copen
- coper
- copes
- copra
- copse
- coral
- corby
- cords
- cored
- corer
- cores
- corgi
- coria
- corks
- corky
- corms
- corns
- cornu
- corny
- corps
- corse
- cosec
- coses
- coset
- cosey
- cosie
- costa
- costs
- cotan
- coted
- cotes
- cotta
- couch
- coude
- cough
- could
- count
- coupe
- coups
- court
- couth
- coved
- coven
- cover
- coves
- covet
- covey
- covin
- cowed
- cower
- cowls
- cowry
- coxae
- coxal
- coxed
- coxes
- coyed
- coyer
- coyly
- coypu
- cozen
- cozes
- cozey
- cozie
CR words 74
- craal
- crabs
- crack
- craft
- crags
- crake
- cramp
- crams
- crane
- crank
- crape
- craps
- crash
- crass
- crate
- crave
- crawl
- craws
- craze
- crazy
- creak
- cream
- credo
- creed
- creek
- creel
- creep
- creme
- crepe
- crept
- crepy
- cress
- crest
- crews
- cribs
- crick
- cried
- crier
- cries
- crime
- crimp
- cripe
- crisp
- croak
- croci
- crock
- crocs
- croft
- crone
- crony
- crook
- croon
- crops
- crore
- cross
- croup
- crowd
- crown
- crows
- croze
- cruck
- crude
- cruds
- cruel
- cruet
- crumb
- crump
- cruor
- crura
- cruse
- crush
- crust
- crwth
- crypt
CU words 63
- cubby
- cubeb
- cubed
- cuber
- cubes
- cubic
- cubit
- cuddy
- cuffs
- cuifs
- cuing
- cuish
- cukes
- culch
- culet
- culex
- culls
- cully
- culms
- culpa
- culti
- cults
- cumin
- cunts
- cupel
- cupid
- cuppa
- cuppy
- curbs
- curch
- curds
- curdy
- cured
- curer
- cures
- curet
- curfs
- curia
- curie
- curio
- curls
- curly
- curns
- currs
- curry
- curse
- curst
- curve
- curvy
- cusec
- cushy
- cusks
- cusps
- cusso
- cutch
- cuter
- cutes
- cutey
- cutie
- cutin
- cutis
- cutty
- cutup
CY words 16
- cyano
- cyans
- cycad
- cycas
- cycle
- cyclo
- cyder
- cylix
- cymae
- cymar
- cymas
- cymes
- cymol
- cynic
- cysts
- cyton
CZ words 1
- czars
337 of these are common enough to be in everyday use. Turn on the filter above to hide the rest.
337 of the 665 words here are everyday vocabulary. The remainder run to the technical: COSEC, COXAE, CURET. They are legal plays and they are worth a glance before a game, because an opponent is unlikely to know them either.
C is worth remembering as a first guess letter because it never sounds the same twice. CIVIL, CALYX and CHILL each treat it differently, so placing a C does not tell you as much about the rest of the word as placing a B or a K would.
Other word lengths
The same complete list treatment for every length from 2 to 15 letters.
Five letter words by starting letter
Each letter has its own page with the full list and notes on how that letter behaves at five letters.