The Best Starting Word for Wordle: A Data-Driven Guide
If you’ve not heard of Wordle, where have you been? Wordle has taken the internet by storm as one of the biggest games on the internet. Just a few months after its release in October 2021, Wordle attracted hundreds of thousands of players to become more than just an average game, but a daily ritual for challenge seekers. With its simple, engaging format, Wordle is a daily game that resets and challenges players worldwide to discover the secret word in as few tries as possible. However, amidst its popularity, a hot topic has emerged: What is the best word to start with in Wordle? So, let’s dive right in and discover the definitive answer to the best starting words for Wordle.
What Is Wordle and Why Has It Become Successful?
Here is a quick recap of how Wordle works. Wordle is a daily word-guessing game that allows players six attempts to guess a five-letter word. After each five-letter word guess, Wordle provides color-coded feedback based on letter position: green letters are in the word and in the correct position, yellow letters are in the word but in the wrong position, and gray letters are incorrect and are not part of the word. The objective is to use this feedback to narrow down the possibilities and guess the correct letter combinations forming the Wordle answer within six tries.
Wordle’s success can be attributed to several factors. First, it combines simple mechanics with challenging problem-solving, which creates a highly engaging experience. Unlike most games today, Wordle is designed to be played once per day, keeping users coming back for the daily puzzle.
The Community’s Best Starting Words for Wordle
In the Wordle community, certain starting words have gained popularity due to their strategic benefits. Before the experts got their heads down and started crunching the numbers, enthusiastic players were drawn to their favorite starting words with unique letters, the best starting letter, and most importantly, vowels. Words like “adieu” and “audio” are often suggested as the best Wordle starting words because they contain multiple vowels, which can quickly reveal whether the target word includes common vowel sounds. Vowels are essential to narrow down possible word choices since most English words include at least one vowel.
Using vowel-based words may not always lead to the answer directly, but they're better than using say, a double letter or duplicate letters, and they provide valuable insights for the next guess. For instance, “adieu” is a popular choice since it tests four frequent letter vowels at once (A, E, I, U), providing players with a significant amount of information about the vowel structure of the target word. This approach in mind, while helpful, is not necessarily optimal, as it doesn’t account for high-frequency consonants that appear in many common words. We’re off to a good start, but let’s get a bit more technical and take a look at letter frequency.
Best Starting Words for Wordle According to Letter Frequency
Letter frequency is the next logical step for most Wordle players when trying to guess the best starting word. While narrowing down which vowels are in a Wordle starting word, is useful, it’s not the most efficient way to start an average game. By using the most common letters in the English language, specifically those that occur in five letter words, an optimal word based on letter frequency can be found.
Professor Barry Smyth from the Insight SFI Research Centre for Data Analytics, one of Europe's largest data analytics research organizations, conducted a thorough analysis to find the best Wordle starting words based on letter frequency data. By simulating millions of games, Smyth discovered that certain words outperformed others in leading to faster and more accurate extra guesses. According to his findings, the word “tales” emerged as the best single-word start. This word incorporates five of the most commonly used letters; T, A, L, E, S and maximizes the chance of hitting green and yellow letters.
“Tales” stands out due to its balanced combination of vowels and high-frequency consonants. This word strategically tests both the common consonants like T, L, and S, as well as vowels A and E, providing a solid base for narrowing down possibilities without heavily skewing toward either vowels or consonants. Smyth’s analysis found that starting with “tales” led to quicker success in 95% of games, with an average game length of 3.66 rounds, essentially meaning players beat the game with four guesses.
Best Wordle Starting Words Based on Information Theory
Another alternative approach to finding the best Wordle starting word involves information theory, which suggests selecting words that provide the maximum amount of “entropy,” or information, per guess. Information theory studies how data is measured, transmitted, and interpreted, focusing on reducing uncertainty and maximizing efficient communication; perfect for Wordle! According to mathematical principles, a word with high entropy helps to eliminate a substantial portion of incorrect possibilities in a single guess.
Grant Sanderson, a YouTuber and mathematician, applied this concept to Wordle and identified “soare” as a top choice. Although not a common word, “soare” ranks high in entropy, ensuring the player gains the most information per guess by incorporating frequent letter combinations that can lead to either partial or full matches early on. This word helps rule out tons of wrong letters and helps to confirm some correct ones, making it easier to make subsequent guesses.
What is the Best Starting Word for Wordle?
Selecting the optimal starting word in Wordle can dramatically improve your chances of solving the puzzle in fewer attempts, and at the end of the day, that’s what you’re trying to do! Through data simulations, additional solutions and information theory, researchers like Professor Smyth and mathematicians such as Grant Sanderson have highlighted a couple of incredibly useful examples.
FAQ: Wordle Starting Words
What is the best starting word for Wordle?
Research suggests that "Soare," "Tales," "Adieu," and "Audio" are the best words to start Wordle.
Is “adieu” a good Wordle start with?
Yes, because it includes four vowels, making it a useful first guess to rule in/out vowels.
Is starting with consonants a good strategy?
Including common consonants like T and S early on can also be effective, especially when combined with a vowel.
Is there a universal best strategy?
No; it depends on whether you prioritize information gain or immediate letter matches.
Does changing starting words help?
Yes, varying starting words keeps the game engaging and may reveal patterns you hadn’t considered.
How many words are possible answers in Wordle?
Wordle has around 2,300 common five-letter words as potential answers, though any five-letter word in English can be guessed.