It would be hard to argue that the opening isn’t the most critical move in Wordle. With just a few guesses available, every word and letter you choose in the starting word is essential. To help you solidify those winning streaks, we have collected the best starting words for Wordle.
Use our Wordle Solver to help you if you get stuck.
Best Starting Words for Wordle
The best starting words in Wordle statistically are TARSE, SALET, SOARE, and AROSE.
Why are TARSE and SALET good starting words?
TARSE is technically the best starter word based on the list of 5-letter words that Wordle allows. It has a combination of the most used vowels and consents. The letters T-A-R-S-E are repeated in other Wordle guesses the most often. Another excellent option for the same reasons is SALET.
If TARSE or SALET does not provide a match, the best follow-up is COLIN.
Why are SOARE and AROSE good starting words?
If we count the most common letters in all the five-letter words in the English language, the most common would be E, A, S, R, and O. Therefore, if there were a five-letter word that had only these letters, it would be one of our best starting guesses. Wordle has two such words, SOARE and AROSE.
SOARE gets a slight edge over AROSE because S is a more common starting letter.
Other Great Starting Words in Wordle
Here is a list of other strong starting words:
- TEARS
- ADIEU
- MEDIA
- CANOE
- RESIN
- STEAM
- ATONE
- LARES
- STONE
- RAISE
How to Pick the Best Starter Word in Wordle
The general strategy for picking a good starter word in Wordle is to select words with common letters. Out of the five vowels, A and E are the most common, so you want to ensure your word has one or both of those vowels.
Out of the consonants, R and S are the most common, so it’s a good idea to find words that also include those letters.
The most common letters in five-letter words are E, A, S, R, O, I, and N.
Start Words to Avoid in Wordle
When selecting your starting word in Wordle, you want to avoid using the most uncommon letters: V, X, J, Z, and Q. More importantly, avoid using words with repeat letters for your first guess or two. Doing so will greatly decrease your odds of finding correct letters.
Don’t use words with repeating letters for at least the first two guesses.
Now you have an arsenal of the best Wordle starting words to improve your win percentages and get those streaks going. These strategies can also be applied to many other word games, even if they don’t use five-letter words.
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