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Wordle Filler Words

A filler word is a guess you play knowing it isn't the answer, because it rules out more words than any guess that could be. Here's when to use one.

Last updated By the Wordle Helper team 5 min read
Five letter tiles ending in ATCH with a question mark on the first tile, showing a Wordle word trap

What is a Wordle filler word?

Filler words are your way out of word traps. A word trap is when you know four letters but several words still fit. Say you have _ATCH with two guesses used. BATCH, CATCH, HATCH, LATCH, MATCH, PATCH, WATCH could all be the answer. Guess them one by one and you could easily run out of turns.

Instead, play one word packed with as many of those first letters as you can, even though it can't win. Whichever tile lights up tells you the answer, and you win on the very next turn.

When should you use one?

  • Three or more words fit, and they differ in the same spot.
  • You have at least two guesses left to spare.
  • You're playing normal mode, not hard mode.
  • Only one or two words are left. Just guess one of them.
  • It's your last guess. Go for the most likely word.

Best filler words for common word traps

We ran each of these patterns through our solver against all 6,405 valid guesses. Here are the best fillers it found:

_ATCH: 7 possible answers

BATCH, CATCH, HATCH, LATCH, MATCH, PATCH, WATCH

Best filler words: BLIMP (5 groups), CLAMP (5 groups), CLIMB (5 groups). The top pick splits the 7 words into 5 groups.

_IGHT: 10 possible answers

BIGHT, EIGHT, FIGHT, LIGHT, MIGHT, NIGHT, RIGHT, SIGHT, TIGHT, WIGHT

Best filler words: BERMS (6 groups), BREWS (6 groups), FERNS (6 groups). The top pick splits the 10 words into 6 groups.

_OUND: 8 possible answers

BOUND, FOUND, HOUND, MOUND, POUND, ROUND, SOUND, WOUND

Best filler words: BRASH (5 groups), BRUSH (5 groups), FRESH (5 groups). The top pick splits the 8 words into 5 groups.

_ASTE: 6 possible answers

BASTE, CASTE, HASTE, PASTE, TASTE, WASTE

Best filler words: BATCH (4 groups), BEACH (4 groups), BEECH (4 groups). The top pick splits the 6 words into 4 groups.

_ILL_: 6 possible answers

BILLY, DILLY, FILLY, HILLY, SILLY, VILLA

Best filler words: ABASH (5 groups), BRASH (5 groups), BUSHY (5 groups). The top pick splits the 6 words into 5 groups.

The answer lists above come from our dictionary of likely answers. The real game may differ slightly, but the same fillers still work.

Filler words early in the game

The same idea works on your second guess. If your opener comes back all gray, don't try to guess the answer yet. Play a second word with five fresh common letters. Our best second words table has ready-made picks. Together, two guesses test ten letters and usually leave just a few words.

Not sure it's time for a filler? Put your board into the Wordle Helper. If the top suggestion is marked “helper word”, that's a filler word, and it's the solver's best move.

Frequently asked questions

What are good filler words for Wordle?

A good filler word uses five different letters you haven't tried yet, especially the letters that tell your remaining options apart. There's no single best list: the right filler depends on what's left. That's why the Wordle guesser picks one for your exact board.

Can I use filler words in hard mode?

No. Hard mode makes every guess reuse the letters you've found, so most filler words aren't allowed. That's what makes word traps so dangerous in hard mode.

Isn't a filler word a wasted guess?

Not when several words fit. One filler can guarantee a win on the next turn, while guessing options one at a time might use up every turn you have left.