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Starting Word Lab

There is no sacred opener — there is measurable information. Compare first guesses, then pick a reusable start that fits how you play.

Starting Word Lab

Compare openers

Score two to four first guesses with the same information engine as the solver. Secrets are the original2,315 solution words — not today’s answer.

Try a preset, or type your own pair.

Best overall starters

Top openers by information score across 2,315 secrets. Precomputed at build time.

#	Word	Score	Expected leftLeft	Entropy	LettersLets
1	ROATE	53	60.4	5.88	5 · 3V/2C
2	RAISE	53	61	5.88	5 · 3V/2C
3	SOARE	53	62.3	5.89	5 · 3V/2C
4	RAILE	52	61.3	5.87	5 · 3V/2C
5	ARISE	52	63.7	5.82	5 · 3V/2C
6	IRATE	52	63.8	5.83	5 · 3V/2C
7	ORATE	52	63.9	5.82	5 · 3V/2C
8	AROSE	52	66	5.77	5 · 3V/2C
9	SNARE	52	71.1	5.77	5 · 2V/3C
10	SALET	52	71.3	5.83	5 · 2V/3C
11	STARE	52	71.3	5.81	5 · 2V/3C
12	SLATE	52	71.6	5.86	5 · 2V/3C
13	REAST	52	71.8	5.87	5 · 2V/3C
14	CRATE	52	72.9	5.83	5 · 2V/3C
15	SLANE	52	74	5.77	5 · 2V/3C
16	TRACE	52	74	5.83	5 · 2V/3C
17	ALTER	51	70	5.71	5 · 2V/3C
18	SANER	51	70.1	5.73	5 · 2V/3C
19	LATER	51	70.2	5.71	5 · 2V/3C
20	ALERT	51	71.6	5.75	5 · 2V/3C

Vowel-heavy

Three or more vowels, still strong on information.

#	Word	Score	Vowels
1	ROATE	53	3
2	RAISE	53	3
3	SOARE	53	3
4	RAILE	52	3
5	ARISE	52	3
6	IRATE	52	3
7	ORATE	52	3
8	AROSE	52	3
9	AISLE	50	3
10	ALONE	50	3
11	ATONE	50	3
12	ALIEN	50	3

Consonant-heavy

At most one vowel — useful as a second-coverage word.

#	Word	Score	Vowels
1	CREST	49	1
2	SLANT	49	1
3	SNARL	48	1
4	STERN	48	1
5	SNORT	48	1
6	TRASH	48	1
7	SATYR	47	1
8	ARTSY	47	1
9	TREND	47	1
10	GRANT	47	1
11	SMART	47	1
12	SCANT	47	1

Rankings scored 2,323 opener candidates (solution list + curated probes) with scoreGuess from the shared solver engine. Generated 2026-08-23.

What to look for

High information score and low expected remaining — the opener splits the solution list well.
Five unique letters when you can; doubled letters waste an early probe slot.
Two or three vowels (E/A help) plus common consonants such as R, S, T, L, or N.

A reusable pair

Many players keep one opener and one backup that covers letters the first word missed. Use the consonant-heavy list when you need a second-coverage word after a vowel-heavy start.

How scoring works

Every metric uses scoreGuess from the shared solver engine against the original Wordle solution list. The 0–100 score is entropy relative to a perfect split; expected remaining is the average bucket size after the guess. Rankings are precomputed; your compare box scores only the words you enter.

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