Why only acids with five or fewer carbons are water soluble but many with six or more carbons dissolve in alcohols ?

Explanation

Carboxylic acids dissolve in water due to hydrogen bonding with water. The alkyl portion is non-polar and hydrophobic and this effect predominates in case of carboxylic acids having more than five carbon atoms, thereby diminishing the solubility of the acid. Alcohols are less polar than water and more acceptable to the less polar carboxylic acids of higher carbon content.