The top 20 Wordle starting words
For every possible first guess, we worked out the colors it would show against every likely answer. Then we measured how evenly those colors split the answers. The more groups, and the more even they are, the fewer words you're left with. This is measured in bits: each extra bit roughly halves the words left.
| # | Word | Bits | Patterns | Words left | Can win? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | RAISE | 5.86 | 133 | ~47 | Yes |
| 2 | SLATE | 5.81 | 153 | ~49 | Yes |
| 3 | ARISE | 5.79 | 129 | ~50 | Yes |
| 4 | STARE | 5.77 | 137 | ~50 | Yes |
| 5 | ORATE | 5.76 | 127 | ~50 | Yes |
| 6 | CARTE | 5.76 | 148 | ~51 | No |
| 7 | IRATE | 5.76 | 122 | ~51 | Yes |
| 8 | CARET | 5.75 | 149 | ~51 | Yes |
| 9 | CRATE | 5.75 | 149 | ~51 | Yes |
| 10 | TARES | 5.75 | 138 | ~51 | No |
| 11 | AROSE | 5.75 | 124 | ~51 | Yes |
| 12 | TALER | 5.75 | 143 | ~51 | No |
| 13 | TRACE | 5.75 | 151 | ~51 | Yes |
| 14 | ARIEL | 5.75 | 131 | ~51 | No |
| 15 | SANER | 5.75 | 142 | ~51 | Yes |
| 16 | CARSE | 5.74 | 142 | ~51 | No |
| 17 | SNARE | 5.74 | 139 | ~51 | Yes |
| 18 | ARTEL | 5.73 | 134 | ~52 | No |
| 19 | TASER | 5.73 | 138 | ~52 | Yes |
| 20 | LEAST | 5.72 | 144 | ~52 | Yes |
Tested against our list of 2,744 likely answers. Other answer lists, including the official one, give slightly different orders, but the same family of words always comes out on top.
Why these starting words work
Look closely and the winners have three things in common:
- Five different letters. A repeated letter wastes a tile that could test something new.
- Common letters. R, A, I, S, E, T and L appear in a big share of answers, so you'll usually light up at least one or two tiles.
- Letters in their usual spots. S loves the start of a word and E loves the end. A green tile tells you far more than a yellow one.
You'll also notice how many top words are anagrams of each other: RAISE, SLATE, ARISE, STARE, ORATE, CARTE, IRATE, CARET. Most of the value comes from the letters themselves. The order adds the final polish.
The best second word in Wordle
If you always use the same opener, it helps to have a backup second word for days when your first guess comes back mostly gray. These pairs test ten different letters between them:
| First word | Best second words | Patterns together |
|---|---|---|
| RAISE | CLOUT, COUNT, CLOTH | 1,065 |
| SLATE | PRION, CORNU, MINOR | 1,126 |
| ARISE | COUNT, CLOTH, CLOUT | 1,056 |
A fixed second word is a safety net, not a rule. If your first guess found a green or two yellows, a second guess that uses that information almost always does better. That's exactly what our Wordle guesser works out for you.
Top letters in Wordle
Here's how often each of the ten most common letters appears in at least one spot across our likely answers:
| Letter | Share of answers |
|---|---|
| E | 45.2% |
| A | 39.7% |
| R | 35.2% |
| O | 29.4% |
| I | 28.2% |
| T | 28.0% |
| L | 26.8% |
| S | 26.6% |
| N | 23.9% |
| U | 20.0% |
Most common letters in each position
| Position | Most common letters |
|---|---|
| 1 | S (15%), C (9%), B (7%) |
| 2 | A (14%), O (13%), E (11%) |
| 3 | A (12%), I (11%), O (10%) |
| 4 | E (14%), N (8%), A (7%) |
| 5 | E (18%), Y (16%), T (10%) |
Does a good opener really matter?
Yes. When we let our solver play all 2,744 likely answers starting with RAISE, it needed just 3.62 guesses on average and solved 99.9% of games within six. A strong first word sets up every guess that follows.
Ready to try it? Type your opener into the Wordle Helper with your colors and see how many words are left.