You’ve almost certainly heard of Wordle. Despite being a few years old, this web-based word game remains extremely popular. However, this does not imply that it is simple, as most people find it quite difficult to begin with the correct words and find the correct wordle answer. Since we felt the same way, we put together a list of the best Wordle starting words you should attempt during your puzzle-solving adventures.
Best Wordle Starting Words
A strong Wordle starting word effectively tests the letters that are most likely to appear in the answer. This efficiency is based on three main factors.
First is vowel-consonant balance. The ideal starting word will contain two or three vowels. Quickly confirm which vowels (A, E, I, O, U) are present and where they are placed. Words that use three of the five main vowels are excellent choices, like ADIEU or OUIJA.
The second factor is high letter frequency. Statistically, the top five most common letters in the Wordle solution set are E, A, R, O, T. By including two or more of these high-frequency letters, you increase the likelihood of getting at least one green (correct position) or yellow (correct letter, wrong position) result on your very first guess.
Finally, the third factor is the strategy behind the correct position. Avoid words with double letters like “BALLS” or “GROSS” on the first turn, as this uses two valuable slots. After the first guess, your second word should use five new, highly-frequent letters, ideally covering the remaining high-value consonants like L, S, D, N.
Some strong starting words like CRANE and TRASH use 3 of the most common consonants and letters that affect the common letters early. Words like ADIEU and SOARE focus on narrowing down vowels for your final answer, which is likely to return multiple hits.
Best 3 Starting Words for Wordle
For players who prefer a guaranteed, and systematic approach to play wordle, the most efficient strategy is to use the first three guesses to test 15 unique, high-frequency letters.
The goal is to cover the ten most frequent letters (E, A, R, O, T, L, I, S, N, C) plus the remaining three main vowels (U, I, O) and the common consonants like D, H, M, or P.
A high-performing, data-backed 3-word combination is:
- CRANE: Hits the top five most common letters (E, A, R, T, O) with an ‘N’ and ‘C’ substitution, maximizing the chance of getting a green/yellow hit immediately.
- POILS: Introduces two more vowels, O, I, and three more high-frequency consonants, P, L, S. It efficiently checks for the common starting letter ‘S’.
- GUMPY: Checks the final two vowels, U, Y, and three more common consonants, G, M, P. The ‘P’ is a repeat but is essential for closing out the consonants.
By the end of the third guess, this sequence has tested 14 unique letters, including all five main vowels (A, E, I, O, U) plus the pseudo-vowel Y. Crucially, it covers the most likely consonants that appear in Wordle solutions C, R, N, P, L, S, G, M.
You can also look at yesterday’s Wordle answer to check how this strategy works.
Best 5 Letter Words to Start Wordle
If you’re just starting with Wordle or just want a simple, solid opening move, the best words are the ones that give you the most clues about the puzzle in one go.
Here is a list of the ten best five-letter Wordle starting words that maximize coverage of high-frequency letters and diverse vowels:
- CRANE – Considered mathematically optimal for maximum information gain.
- SOARE – Covers 4 of the top 5 letters overall, plus the very common ‘S’.
- TRASH – Excellent for identifying common consonants, especially ‘T’ and ‘R’.
- ADIEU – Focuses on testing four out of five main vowels immediately.
- SLATE – Uses three of the top consonants and common end letters.
- ROATE – High frequency letters, useful for finding common middle consonants.
- SHARE – Good balance, hits common ‘S’ and ‘H’ placement.
- LATER – Strong choice for checking common position letters (T and R).
- OUIJA – Extreme vowel focus (four vowels) and tests the rare ‘J’ for variety.
- TEARY – Strong vowel/consonant balance and includes the key pseudo-vowel ‘Y’.
When making your first guess, avoid using rare letters such as X, Q, Z, J, or V. They may be fun, but they appear so rarely that you lose a good turn testing them when you could be testing the high-frequency letters above.
Best Wordle Starting Words With U
While high-frequency words beginning with ‘A’ or ‘E’ are statistically favored in Wordle, using a word that starts with ‘U’ offers a valuable strategic advantage. This approach instantly tests the less common vowel ‘U’ while simultaneously incorporating other high-value consonants and vowels.
Here’s a list of the best Wordle starting words that begin with the letter U and are paired with highly used letters that help narrow down the answers in your everyday puzzle:
- ULTRA – Uses top three consonants R, T, and L and the essential vowel A
- UNDER – Tests three middle-word letters R, N, and D, alongside a common vowel E
- UNITE – Strong three-vowel combo of U, I, and E, that can yield multiple letter hits on first guess
- USAGE – Balanced selection of three vowels and crucial high-frequency letters S, and E
- UNTIL – Tests three valuable consonants N, T, and L, and the common vowel I
- UPSET – Strong on common final letters S, and T, and includes the vowel E
- URBAN – Solid balance, testing two common vowels U, and A and two key consonants R, and N
- ULCER – Consonant heavy option which tests the highly recurrent L, C, and R grouping
By using any of the best Wordle starting words above that begin with U, you can immediately eliminate a large number of possible solutions that do not include the letter U. This process then increases the efficiency of your following guesses. This is one of the key Wordle tips and tricks we highly recommend beginners to follow.
Best Wordle Starting Words Without A or E
While the vowels A, and E are most commonly used in the English language and highly recommended to solve a Wordle, a deliberate strategy is to exclude them from the first letter entirely.
This counter approach increases your chances of gathering more info across the remaining vowel set. By avoiding A, and E in your first turn, you force yourself to test other vowels and a diverse set of consonants.
Here’s a list of all the best Wordle starting words that begin without using A, or E:
- ROUND
- PILOT
- FOCUS
- CRYPT
- CLOUD
- FLUSH
- DRINK
- WOUND
- GLORY
- QUICK
If your first word (e.g., ROUND) results in no hits (all grey), your second word must be an ‘A’ and ‘E’-rich word that uses the remaining high-frequency consonants.
- Word 1 (No A/E): ROUND
- Word 2 (A/E Focus): SLATE
By combining these two words, you test R, O, U, N, D, S, L, A, T, E, thereby covering the top ten most frequent letters in Wordle answers and giving you really strong clues for your third guess.
Now that you know the best Wordle starting words, we surely hope you’ll solve them much quickly and come up with unique ways to complete the puzzle.
