Wordle · strategies
Information per guess.
The goal isn't just getting greens — it's maximally eliminating letters. Every guess should teach you something new.
Strong openers
A good opener covers 5 distinct, common letters with high positional frequency. Classics: CRANE, SLATE, AROSE, AUDIO. Avoid rare letters (Q, Z, X) early — they eliminate less.
Vowel / consonant balance
Most 5-letter words have 2 vowels and 3 consonants. If your opener missed all vowels (unlikely but possible with something like LYMPH), go vowel-heavy on guess 2. Don’t waste slots on letters already confirmed absent.
Positional narrowing
A yellow tells you the letter is IN the word but NOT in that column. Your next guess should try it in a different position. Greens are locked — keep them, but still use the remaining tiles to test unknowns, not to repeat information.
Hard-mode thinking (even in easy mode)
After guess 3, you often have 3–4 confirmed letters and one or two blanks. If multiple words fit, pick the one that distinguishesbetween them — even if it scores zero greens — because ruling out a candidate is as valuable as getting one right.
In 1v1: speed vs. safety
Racing an opponent, you can afford a lucky early guess — the worst case is you lose information. But never burn guess 6 on a gamble when two words fit: use guess 5 to eliminate, then solve on 6 with certainty.