Tier 1: Balanced coverage

  • CRANE — C R A N E hits common consonants and A
  • SLATE — swaps C for L; excellent vowel spread
  • STARE — S and T are among the most common starters
  • AROSE — vowel-heavy alternative

Tier 2: Vowel-heavy openers

  • ADIEU — four vowels; great for elimination
  • AUDIO — similar idea with O instead of E
  • OUJIA — rare but tests U, O, I, A (use sparingly)

What to avoid

Skip words with double letters (BOOKS) or rare letters (JAZZY) on guess one—you learn less per turn.

Second guess pairings

If CRANE returns mostly grays, follow with SLUMP or TIGHT to test new consonants. Pair openers that share no letters for maximum information.

Unscramble any rack on our Wordle helper or explore 5-letter words ending ER when endings narrow.