Opener Lab
ADIEU vs CRANE
See which word leaves you with the easier game.
These game-length figures come from the previous complete opener benchmark against its 2,354-answer snapshot, ranked by average guesses among games solved within six. Its answer snapshot and continuation policy are separate from today's solver recommendations.
The same solver played from both openers. CRANE has the lower average in games solved within six: 3.55 guesses to 3.73 for ADIEU.
Looking only at the opening row, CRANE has higher entropy (5.73 bits versus 4.89). That describes first-guess separation, not the full solve on its own.
Against 1,859 past Wordle answers, CRANE left the smaller first-guess group on 63% of dates; ADIEU did so on 37%, with the rest tied.
| Metric | ADIEU | CRANE |
|---|---|---|
| Elimination | 94.7% | 96.6% |
| Information | 4.89 bits | 5.73 bits |
| Avg remaining | 125 words | 81 words |
| Avg turns | 3.73 | 3.55 |
| Win rate | 99.9% | 99.9% |
| Tier | B | A |
Head to head on past answers
We tried both openers against 1,859 past Wordle answers and counted which one left fewer possibilities after the first guess.
Across those answers, ADIEU left an average of 124 candidates and CRANE an average of 78.
The most recent test was Wordle #1858 on July 21, 2026, when the answer was SHILL. ADIEU came back ⬛⬛🟩⬛⬛ and kept 105 words in play. CRANE came back ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ and kept 272 words.
What to expect from the first guess
| Outcome | ADIEU | CRANE |
|---|---|---|
| First-turn solve* | 0% | 0.04% |
| At least one green | 29.0% | 43.5% |
| Any green or yellow | 93.0% | 88.5% |
| Whole row gray | 7.0% | 11.5% |
| Worst case answers left | 288 | 272 |
*Treating every word in the possible-answer list as equally likely.
A fully gray row is rarer with ADIEU: it happens 7.0% of the time, against 11.5% for CRANE.
ADIEU is not on the possible-answer list, so it cannot solve the game on turn one here. It can still be a useful guess.
Planning the second guess
After ADIEU
All five letters miss 7.0% of the time, leaving 165 words in play. Of the 665 follow-ups checked here, STOOL leaves the fewest possible answers on average (6.3).
Its most common result is 🟨⬛⬛⬛⬛, which shows up 12.2% of the time and leaves 288 possibilities. Of the 779 follow-ups checked here, COAST leaves the fewest possible answers on average (11.7).
After CRANE
All five letters miss 11.5% of the time, leaving 272 words in play. Of the 772 follow-ups checked here, MOULT leaves the fewest possible answers on average (7.6).
How these two openers fit together
ADIEU and CRANE share 2 letters (A, E). Played as a pair they cover 8 distinct letters, which still gives the second word room to do useful work.
Played back to back, ADIEU then CRANE earns 8.08 bits of information in total, 2.35 bits more than the better word manages alone.
Past Wordle answers
- ADIEU: Has not been a past Wordle answer in this site's history.
- CRANE: Answer to Wordle #732 on June 21, 2023. ADIEU would have come back 🟨⬛⬛🟨⬛ that day, leaving 190 possible answers.
Common questions
- Which is a better starting word: ADIEU or CRANE?
- In the previous complete benchmark, CRANE has the lower average in games the solver finished within six: 3.55 guesses versus 3.73 for ADIEU. The same solver played from both words.
- What does entropy mean for ADIEU vs CRANE?
- Entropy measures the information in the distribution of feedback outcomes. ADIEU records 4.89 bits and CRANE records 5.73 bits. CRANE has the higher score, so its feedback distribution separates the possible answers more effectively on average. Entropy describes the opening row; it does not by itself predict how many guesses a game will take.
- How do ADIEU and CRANE score against past Wordle answers?
- Across 1,859 past Wordle answers, ADIEU left fewer possible answers than CRANE on 37% of days, CRANE did better on 63%, and the rest were ties. On average, ADIEU left 124 candidates after the first guess and CRANE left 78.