Enter criteria and click Find Words
215 five letter words begin with ST, and every vowel takes a real share of the third box.
O leads at about twenty two percent, A at twenty, E at seventeen, I at thirteen, R at thirteen and U at ten.
Five vowels and one consonant, all live. That is as even a spread as any two letter opening produces.
STATE, STORE, STILL, STOCK and START are the most used entries, and they cover three different third letters.
STRIP, STRAP and STRAW push a third consonant into that box, which changes the shape of the whole word.
At thirteen percent the branch is worth knowing, and confirming an R there rules out every vowel at once.
STRAY and STRUT sit there too, so the branch holds more everyday words than a three consonant opening usually does.
STORE is the strongest opener. It covers the leading branch and its R and E are shared with several other branches, so a partial hit still helps.
STAND is the natural follow up, since its A, N and D reach ground STORE leaves untouched.
It is the most common entry but it repeats both its T and its A, so it tests only three distinct letters. STORE gives back more.
It is the only third letter here that is not a vowel, so testing it either lands or eliminates the entire consonant path in one move.
The U branch. STUDY and STUFF lead it, but below those it thins out faster than the O or A branches do.