While there is no definitively “best” first word for Wordle, some common starter guesses that can give useful information include:
- R,A,E,T,L,N – Contains 6 of the most common letters in English to maximize early matches.
- S,T,O,I,N,R – Also uses very common letters while introducing some variety.
- C,A,R,E,S – Covers 4 vowels to help reveal possible word patterns earlier.
- S,O,A,R,E – Vowels plus the most common consonant opens up possibilities.
- A,D,I,E,U – An alternative vowel-heavy choice.
- R,O,U,N,D – Provides variation from the other common starting words.
- C,O,D,E,S – Explores some less frequently used but still common letters.
- S,L,O,P,E – Has proven effective for some players’ strategies.
My personal favorite first guess tends to be ROATE, as it gives a good mix of frequent letters while avoiding ‘E’ as the last letter which is less informative. Ultimately though, most experienced Wordle players emphasize using a word you feel comfortable with at the start.