Original LetterWise Analysis
Best 5 Letter Starter Words by Data
We scored 42 familiar starter words against 12,578 five-letter entries to measure how much letter information each opening word tends to reveal.
#1 letter coverage
Expected distinct letter matches per entry; at least one letter appears in 95.2% of the dataset.
#2 letter coverage
Expected distinct letter matches per entry; at least one letter appears in 95.2% of the dataset.
#3 letter coverage
Expected distinct letter matches per entry; at least one letter appears in 93.6% of the dataset.
What the ranking measures
Each candidate has five different letters. For every candidate, we counted how often each of those letters appears across the complete LetterWise five-letter dataset. Adding those five presence rates gives the expected letter matches: the average number of distinct candidate letters found in a dataset entry.
We also measured any-letter coverage, the share of entries containing at least one candidate letter, and expected position matches, the average number of letters already sitting in the same position. The main ranking uses expected letter matches, with position matches breaking ties.
Top 12 familiar starter words
Higher expected matches mean the word tends to reveal more of its five distinct letters across this broad dataset.
| Rank | Starter | Expected letter matches | Any-letter coverage | Expected position matches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | raise | 1.89 | 95.2% | 0.46 |
| 2 | arise | 1.89 | 95.2% | 0.37 |
| 3 | laser | 1.85 | 93.6% | 0.49 |
| 4 | rates | 1.85 | 93.4% | 0.75 |
| 5 | tears | 1.85 | 93.4% | 0.65 |
| 6 | stare | 1.85 | 93.4% | 0.41 |
| 7 | snare | 1.83 | 93.7% | 0.42 |
| 8 | aisle | 1.83 | 94.6% | 0.38 |
| 9 | slate | 1.79 | 93.4% | 0.46 |
| 10 | least | 1.79 | 93.4% | 0.36 |
| 11 | cares | 1.76 | 93.1% | 0.82 |
| 12 | spare | 1.76 | 92.5% | 0.41 |
Three useful findings
RAISE edges ARISE on position value
RAISE and ARISE use exactly the same five letters, so they tie at 1.89expected letter matches and 95.2%any-letter coverage. RAISE ranks first because its letters align with common positions more often in this dataset.
More vowels do not automatically mean more information
ADIEU reaches at least one letter in 92.2% of entries, but averages 1.49distinct matches. A balanced word such as RAISE tests common consonants as well as vowels and averages more total matches.
Letter coverage and position coverage answer different questions
CARES has the strongest position score in this candidate set at 0.82, even though it ranks lower by overall letter coverage. A good opener can prioritize broad discovery, exact positions, or a balance of both.
A familiar favorite can still be a sensible choice
CRANE averages 1.52letter matches and covers at least one letter in 87.9% of entries. It does not lead this broad-list ranking, but consistency and familiarity can still make it practical for daily play.
Method and limitations
- Calculations use the current 12,578-entry LetterWise five-letter dataset at build time.
- We deliberately scored a transparent set of 42 familiar, no-repeat candidates so obscure dictionary entries would not dominate the practical list.
- The LetterWise dataset includes a wider range of words than an official answer list for Wordle or any other individual game.
- This analysis estimates letter information, not the probability of solving a particular puzzle in the fewest guesses.
- Different dictionaries and answer lists will produce different rankings.
Two Word Starts by Data
See which second words add the strongest ten-letter coverage.
Letter Frequency Guide
See the letter and position counts behind this analysis.
Use Wordle Solver
Apply green, yellow, and excluded letters after your first guess.