What the Starter Word Lab measures

This lab uses the same official NYT Wordle answer list and lexical profile we use for our other tools. For each 5-letter answer, we compute how often each letter appears overall and in each of the 5 slots, and we derive a rough difficulty score and semantic tags (for example FOOD, NATURE) from modern English usage.

When you enter a starter here, we look it up in the combined Wordle answers and guesses list to make sure it’s a valid word. We then score it based on how many unique letters it uses, how much of the high-frequency alphabet and positions it touches, and—when available—how common and "everyday" it looks in our lexical model.

How to use this lab with your own openers

Start by typing the openers you already like—SLATE, CRANE, TRACE, SOARE, or anything else—into the three rows. Starters with more unique letters and higher coverage scores tend to get you better information per guess, especially when their letters are also common in our position heatmap.

The lexical difficulty and domain tags help you decide whether a starter leans toward everyday language or more specialised themes. For example, a starter tagged with FOOD or ANIMALS might feel friendlier on casual boards, while more abstract domains can lean into trickier vocabulary.

Wordle Starter Word Lab FAQ

Does the lab tell me the one perfect starter?

No. There is no single best starter for every player and every board. The lab focuses on measurable ingredients—letter coverage, position coverage, and lexical difficulty—so you can compare reasonable candidates and pick one or two that fit your style.

Why does coverage use the answer list but validation uses answers and guesses?

Coverage is based on how letters behave in real solutions, so we use the official Wordle answer list only for those percentages. Validation uses both answers and guesses so you can test any word the game will accept, including burner words that are unlikely to be the final answer.

What does the lexical difficulty N/10 mean?

The lexical difficulty uses external frequency data to put each word on a rough 1–10 scale: lower numbers are more common and "easier" words, higher numbers are rarer or more specialised. It’s separate from our in-game difficulty labels like NORMAL or TRAP, but together they give a fuller picture of how forgiving a board feels.

Can I break my streak with this?

Using the lab doesn’t reveal today’s answer or narrow the field directly. It only evaluates starters in the abstract, across the whole answer list and lexical model. To avoid spoiling today’s puzzle, use this alongside our Letter Frequency explorer and Daily Hints tool instead of brute-force solvers.