The best Wordle strategy – according to science

I was hopeful when I started watching the video! It sounded like you were going to take a non-intuitive approach, but . . . it's just kind of the usual approach, dressed up with the word "entropy". While you have calculated the first word that will give you the most information, you have also failed to miss the downside of all of that color. In hard mode, especially, you are now more limited in the information you can gather moving forward. Getting two letters correct on turn one feels exciting, and mathematically, it narrows things down... but it removes 8 opportunities to guess letters moving forward.

I think most people who end up losing a daily Wordle (from the masses following this approach) will end up with the classic three letter columns early on (such as _ra_e), and simply not have enough space to eliminate the remaining letters. . two letters at a time. When I don't get any letters, it is, on the surface, less information, but I'm always happy to see it - more spaces to guess more letters. Starting with BLAHS, I get a nice mix. I have a vowel, a common consonant (the 's' in its least likely spot, giving me flexibility to try more words that can better narrow things down), and I have a good start on some of the mid-range consonants that would be most likely to end the game with a loss.

Additionally, these are consonants that don't all talk with each other. That B and that H will not end up next to each other. If one of them hits, there are possible combinations (BR, BL or CH, TH, SH, GH etc) to explore. I have a lot more room to explore the shapes of these words, most of the time, precisely because I haven't boxed myself in.

TLDR: surprising that the loss of space to guess letters is never considered in these videos/guides/anything.

Just coming across this video now. My best opener is RAISE. Just used a few logical assertions to narrow down the search field, then ran some simulations. Also if you look around you'll notice that alot of the best suggested openers are anagrams. Used that as a strategy for narrowing the search space.

Soare didn't work for me. Said it wasn't a word

Great video! I’m working on a wordle algorithm and will be sure to send it your way!

Idk about you but adieu, audio and ouija work wonders for me every round. Just mad that the one day I choose to start with adieu it was audio and I got it in 2 😂😂😭😭

olive

Ocean is my opening word. Three vowels. One day it will be the first word I type in. :)

This works great for a computer with knowledge of the available words and infallible memory. It’s not quite as useful for the average human.

Soare until pygmy

If you guess word that has 2 of the same letters and it’s the wrong word and if it shows that same letter is wrong in two different places , could it be that that letter shows in only one place?

Holy crap! That computer thinks the same way I do. Except it has an advantage, it knows EVERY 5 letter word in the English language, I don't. But anywho, I can't complain, I'm 10 games shy of cracking a 100 streak.

My favorite starter word recently has been Laser.

Suppose on your second guess you used PANIC. The only letter in PANIC which is also in MOUNT is the N. But we already know that there is an N in the fourth place of the answer, because it was green in STONE. My question is "Will WORDLE make the N in PANIC yellow or leave it gray?" If it left it gray, that would be useful because words with two Ns could then all be eliminated.

I mix it up because it's boring watching other players use the same word day in and day out.

I usually use Alien first then Stock.

I one time got a wordle first time and it was “think”

How are your strategies and outcomes affected if you use the hard mode setting where guesses have to be valid words that include all letters already identified correctly?

There are only 2315 5 letter words? Seems so few.

I just use TUNIC, LORDY and SHAME as my first 3 to eliminate the 15 most common letters, and go from there.
I don't start with SHAME because that word has already been a solution, and I want to get that sweet 1-guess win someday.

RATIO, MENDS, LUCKY

i think aegis whould be great too

Dont watch this, It will ruin it for you.

The best first word is whatever the word is..... DUH

STEAL has been my word for a year now… I can’t stop because I know I’ll miss the week that it’s the solution.

For some reason, I have a compulsion to never reuse an opening word.

I google the correct answer before I begin playing as I find this is as gratifying as solving this silly game on my own, and it saves valuable time.

Starting with ADIEU gave me the best results. It gives a good idea of the vocals to use and where they go. Finding the correct word on the first try is anyway pure luck.

BTW, if you are curious about a new word game, last month I released an original game that I've created. It's an anagram solver with a hint of crossword puzzles called PIRMYD. It's online and totally free, like wordle.

In case anyone tries it out, please let me know your feedback. Thanks!

I use RAISE as my first, and I have a second word ready for any possible combo I get. If I get all grays, I use TOUCH.

Crate is better 3.4

The most fascinating part for me is how 10 different people can find the "best" first word, and end up with 10 different words. It really shows how sometimes in science, there is no one correct way to test things.

"Intuition, however illogical Mr. Spock, is recognized as a command prerogative - Captain James T. Kirk. As much as I love your entropy analysis, I prefer to play the game with reckless abandon, feeling, and intuition as my guide. Based on your numbers, I don’t beat the spread, but come reasonably close most days. To each his own I guess. Happily, for some of us, words are more acts of beauty than algebraic equations. And the game Wordle, more of an Agatha Christie to solve each day than an exercise in logic.

he named all of the chapters with 5 letter words lmao

Well said. Thank you!

I use CANOE for my first word. Also OUNCE

Are we really trying to increase entropy??? We are trying to bring more order, I.e. reduce the number of possible words that could be the answer. Adieu reduces the number of possible words, but fuzzy is less effective at reducing the number of possible solutions.

My android WORDLE app says SOARE is not a word.

I use "aerie"..if there's only one or two I put in" couch"..then I have all the vowels.

But it doesn't matter if you get it or not. Spending time thinking about it is even worse. Might as well spend time thinking about bubbles and dragons.

about

OURIE

I use ANTRE as my opener since it has the most common 3 consonants and 2 vowels. It usually takes 3 - 5 attempts, but I've solved it on the 2nd try twice just last month. If I don't get much info from ANTRE, my next is COILS, then if I need to, WHUMP.

My first ever time playing wordle, I got it right on the very first try. The word was CLANS. Like, how?

THANKS TO YOU I BECAME A PRO WORDLE PLAYER

I always start with BITCH, followed by PENIS.

power, atlas, and bunny are op try it

It’s worth keeping in mind that the a absence of any vowels in ADIEU, doesn’t necessarily mean the word must contain O.
One particularly frustrating solution was NYMPH. There are other 5 letter words with only Y as their replacement vowel but not worth wasting your time with here.

I use “CANDY” “BURST” “MOVIE”. All three use completely different letters and use all the vowels plus Y. My wife always uses “AUDIO” which I see you used. I’m thinking of using “RATIO” and “LUCKY”. All the vowels were use with 10 different letters.