Opener Lab
ARISE vs IRATE
See which word leaves you with the easier game.
Both words are in the current screen of 182 openers, tested against 2,360 answers. Exact misses rank first; average guesses among wins break ties.
The six-turn results are effectively tied: when the same solver plays from each word, ARISE averages 3.52 guesses and IRATE averages 3.51 in games solved within six.
Against 1,876 past Wordle answers, IRATE left the smaller first-guess group on 53% of dates; ARISE did so on 45%, with the rest tied.
| Metric | ARISE | IRATE |
|---|---|---|
| Elimination | 97.2% | 97.2% |
| Information | 5.82 bits | 5.83 bits |
| Avg remaining | 65 words | 66 words |
| Avg turns | 3.52 | 3.51 |
| Missed in six | 0 | 0 |
| Win rate | 100.0% | 100.0% |
| Tier (first turn only) | S | S |
Head to head on past answers
We tried both openers against 1,876 past Wordle answers and counted which one left fewer possibilities after the first guess.
Across those answers, ARISE left an average of 65 candidates and IRATE an average of 64.
The most recent test was Wordle #1875 on August 7, 2026, when the answer was FEIGN. ARISE came back ⬛⬛🟩⬛🟨 and kept 15 words in play. IRATE came back 🟨⬛⬛⬛🟨 and kept 39 words.
What to expect from the first guess
| Outcome | ARISE | IRATE |
|---|---|---|
| First-turn solve* | 0.04% | 0.04% |
| At least one green | 40.3% | 39.7% |
| Any green or yellow | 92.7% | 91.6% |
| Whole row gray | 7.3% | 8.4% |
| Worst case answers left | 173 | 199 |
*Treating every word in the possible-answer list as equally likely.
A fully gray row is rarer with ARISE: it happens 7.3% of the time, against 8.4% for IRATE.
Planning the second guess
After ARISE
All five letters miss 7.3% of the time, leaving 173 words in play. Of the 673 follow-ups checked here, COULD leaves the fewest possible answers on average (6.8).
After IRATE
All five letters miss 8.4% of the time, leaving 199 words in play. Of the 699 follow-ups checked here, SONLY leaves the fewest possible answers on average (6.8).
How these two openers fit together
ARISE and IRATE share 4 of their 5 letters (A, E, I, R), so as a pair they only cover 6 distinct letters. Treat them as alternatives rather than partners, because playing both wastes most of the second guess.
Played back to back, ARISE then IRATE earns 7.09 bits of information in total, 1.27 bits more than the better word manages alone.
Past Wordle answers
- ARISE: Answer to Wordle #1603 on November 8, 2025. IRATE would have come back 🟨🟩🟨⬛🟩 that day, pinning the answer down on the spot.
- IRATE: Answer to Wordle #745 on July 4, 2023. ARISE would have come back 🟨🟩🟨⬛🟩 that day, pinning the answer down on the spot.
Common questions
- Which is a better starting word: ARISE or IRATE?
- ARISE and IRATE are effectively tied on their average guesses in games solved within six in the current bounded policy screen.
- What does entropy mean for ARISE vs IRATE?
- Entropy measures the information in the distribution of feedback outcomes. ARISE records 5.82 bits and IRATE records 5.83 bits. Their entropy scores are effectively equal. Entropy describes the opening row; it does not by itself predict how many guesses a game will take.
- How do ARISE and IRATE score against past Wordle answers?
- Across 1,876 past Wordle answers, ARISE left fewer possible answers than IRATE on 45% of days, IRATE did better on 53%, and the rest were ties. On average, ARISE left 65 candidates after the first guess and IRATE left 64.