The Science Behind Wordle: Why CRATE Wins

Wordle may look like a guessing game. But under the hood, it's driven by math, probability, and information theory.

If you've ever wondered why words like CRATE or SLATE are so popular, this guide explains the science behind them.

Why Starting Words Matter

Your first guess does one thing: It collects information.

A strong starting word doesn't try to solve the puzzle. It tries to reduce uncertainty as fast as possible.

The more useful information you gain early, the easier every later guess becomes.

Letter Frequency in English

Not all letters appear equally in English words. Some show up constantly. Others almost never appear.

Most Common Letters

These letters appear most often in five-letter words:

Testing these early gives you fast feedback.

Rarest Letters

These letters provide little early value:

Using them too soon wastes a guess.

Information Theory (Without the Jargon)

Every Wordle guess splits the remaining word list into smaller groups.

A good starting word:

This is called information gain. More possible outcomes = more knowledge per guess.

The Mathematics of Elimination

Strong starting words follow three rules:

1. Test common letters - High-frequency letters rule out more words

2. Balance vowels and consonants - Too many vowels or consonants limits coverage

3. Avoid repeated letters - Repeats reduce how much you learn

One guess should test five different letters, not three.

Why These Words Perform So Well

Data analysis of the Wordle word list shows clear winners.

Mathematically Strong Starting Words

These words don't just "feel" good. They consistently reduce the search space.

Vowels vs. Consonants: The Tradeoff

There's no single perfect mix. But trends are clear:

That's why both CRANE and CLAMP can be valid—depending on your goal.

Position Matters Too

Letter frequency isn't just about which letters. It's also about where they appear.

Examples:

Good starting words account for this implicitly.

Is There a Single "Best" Starting Word?

No. And that's the fun part.

Different goals lead to different choices:

The key is consistency, not perfection.

Final Takeaway

Great starting words aren't lucky guesses.

They are:

Once you understand the science, Wordle stops feeling random. And that's when your scores start improving.

For a full breakdown of winning tactics, check out our Complete Strategy Guide.

What starting word do you rely on—and why?