Opener Lab
ADIEU vs STARE
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. STARE has the lower average in games solved within six: 3.57 guesses to 3.73 for ADIEU.
Looking only at the opening row, STARE has higher entropy (5.81 bits versus 4.89). That describes first-guess separation, not the full solve on its own.
Against 1,858 past Wordle answers, STARE left the smaller first-guess group on 66% of dates; ADIEU did so on 34%, with the rest tied.
| Metric | ADIEU | STARE |
|---|---|---|
| Elimination | 94.7% | 96.9% |
| Information | 4.89 bits | 5.81 bits |
| Avg remaining | 125 words | 73 words |
| Avg turns | 3.73 | 3.57 |
| Win rate | 99.9% | 99.9% |
| Tier | B | S |
Head to head on past answers
We tried both openers against 1,858 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 STARE an average of 72.
The most recent test was Wordle #1857 on July 20, 2026, when the answer was DIVER. ADIEU came back ⬛🟨🟨🟩⬛ and kept 9 words in play. STARE came back ⬛⬛⬛🟨🟨 and kept 121 words.
What to expect from the first guess
| Outcome | ADIEU | STARE |
|---|---|---|
| First-turn solve* | 0% | 0.04% |
| At least one green | 29.0% | 41.5% |
| Any green or yellow | 93.0% | 90.1% |
| Whole row gray | 7.0% | 9.9% |
| Worst case answers left | 288 | 234 |
*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 9.9% for STARE.
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 STARE
All five letters miss 9.9% of the time, leaving 234 words in play. Of the 734 follow-ups checked here, COULD leaves the fewest possible answers on average (6.9).
How these two openers fit together
ADIEU and STARE 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 STARE earns 8.18 bits of information in total, 2.37 bits more than the better word manages alone.
Past Wordle answers
- ADIEU: Has not been a past Wordle answer in this site's history.
- STARE: Answer to Wordle #1290 on December 30, 2024. ADIEU would have come back 🟨⬛⬛🟨⬛ that day, leaving 190 possible answers.
Common questions
- Which is a better starting word: ADIEU or STARE?
- In the previous complete benchmark, STARE has the lower average in games the solver finished within six: 3.57 guesses versus 3.73 for ADIEU. The same solver played from both words.
- What does entropy mean for ADIEU vs STARE?
- Entropy measures the information in the distribution of feedback outcomes. ADIEU records 4.89 bits and STARE records 5.81 bits. STARE 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 STARE score against past Wordle answers?
- Across 1,858 past Wordle answers, ADIEU left fewer possible answers than STARE on 34% of days, STARE did better on 66%, and the rest were ties. On average, ADIEU left 124 candidates after the first guess and STARE left 72.