Opener Lab
ADIEU vs TRACE
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. TRACE has the lower average in games solved within six: 3.53 guesses to 3.73 for ADIEU.
Looking only at the opening row, TRACE has higher entropy (5.82 bits versus 4.89). That describes first-guess separation, not the full solve on its own.
Against 1,858 past Wordle answers, TRACE left the smaller first-guess group on 64% of dates; ADIEU did so on 36%, with the rest tied.
| Metric | ADIEU | TRACE |
|---|---|---|
| Elimination | 94.7% | 96.8% |
| Information | 4.89 bits | 5.82 bits |
| Avg remaining | 125 words | 76 words |
| Avg turns | 3.73 | 3.53 |
| 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 TRACE 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. TRACE came back ⬛🟨⬛⬛🟨 and kept 117 words.
What to expect from the first guess
| Outcome | ADIEU | TRACE |
|---|---|---|
| First-turn solve* | 0% | 0.04% |
| At least one green | 29.0% | 42.1% |
| Any green or yellow | 93.0% | 89.3% |
| Whole row gray | 7.0% | 10.7% |
| Worst case answers left | 288 | 253 |
*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 10.7% for TRACE.
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 TRACE
All five letters miss 10.7% of the time, leaving 253 words in play. Of the 753 follow-ups checked here, SOILY leaves the fewest possible answers on average (7.1).
How these two openers fit together
ADIEU and TRACE 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 TRACE earns 8.19 bits of information in total, 2.36 bits more than the better word manages alone.
Past Wordle answers
- ADIEU: Has not been a past Wordle answer in this site's history.
- TRACE: Answer to Wordle #179 on December 15, 2021. ADIEU would have come back 🟨⬛⬛🟨⬛ that day, leaving 190 possible answers.
Common questions
- Which is a better starting word: ADIEU or TRACE?
- In the previous complete benchmark, TRACE has the lower average in games the solver finished within six: 3.53 guesses versus 3.73 for ADIEU. The same solver played from both words.
- What does entropy mean for ADIEU vs TRACE?
- Entropy measures the information in the distribution of feedback outcomes. ADIEU records 4.89 bits and TRACE records 5.82 bits. TRACE 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 TRACE score against past Wordle answers?
- Across 1,858 past Wordle answers, ADIEU left fewer possible answers than TRACE on 36% of days, TRACE did better on 64%, and the rest were ties. On average, ADIEU left 124 candidates after the first guess and TRACE left 72.