Opener Lab
AUDIO vs CARTE
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. CARTE has the lower average in games solved within six: 3.53 guesses to 3.73 for AUDIO.
Looking only at the opening row, CARTE has higher entropy (5.79 bits versus 4.61). That describes first-guess separation, not the full solve on its own.
Against 1,876 past Wordle answers, CARTE left the smaller first-guess group on 68% of dates; AUDIO did so on 32%, with the rest tied.
| Metric | AUDIO | CARTE |
|---|---|---|
| Elimination | 92.1% | 96.8% |
| Information | 4.61 bits | 5.79 bits |
| Avg remaining | 185 words | 76 words |
| Avg turns | 3.73 | 3.53 |
| Win rate | 99.8% | 99.9% |
| Tier (first turn only) | C | A |
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, AUDIO left an average of 185 candidates and CARTE an average of 73.
The most recent test was Wordle #1875 on August 7, 2026, when the answer was FEIGN. AUDIO came back ⬛⬛⬛🟨⬛ and kept 270 words in play. CARTE came back ⬛⬛⬛⬛🟨 and kept 125 words.
What to expect from the first guess
| Outcome | AUDIO | CARTE |
|---|---|---|
| First-turn solve* | 0.04% | 0% |
| At least one green | 24.1% | 42.5% |
| Any green or yellow | 91.9% | 89.2% |
| Whole row gray | 8.1% | 10.8% |
| Worst case answers left | 441 | 254 |
*Treating every word in the possible-answer list as equally likely.
A fully gray row is rarer with AUDIO: it happens 8.1% of the time, against 10.8% for CARTE.
CARTE 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 AUDIO
All five letters miss 8.1% of the time, leaving 192 words in play. Of the 689 follow-ups checked here, SETER leaves the fewest possible answers on average (4.5).
Its most common result is 🟨⬛⬛⬛⬛, which shows up 18.7% of the time and leaves 441 possibilities. Of the 871 follow-ups checked here, TARSE leaves the fewest possible answers on average (12.4).
After CARTE
All five letters miss 10.8% of the time, leaving 254 words in play. Of the 754 follow-ups checked here, SOILY leaves the fewest possible answers on average (7.1).
How these two openers fit together
AUDIO and CARTE overlap on a single letter (A), so the pair tests 9 different letters between them.
Played back to back, AUDIO then CARTE earns 8.58 bits of information in total, 2.79 bits more than the better word manages alone.
Past Wordle answers
- AUDIO: Answer to Wordle #802 on August 30, 2023. CARTE would have come back ⬛🟨⬛⬛⬛ that day, leaving 112 possible answers.
- CARTE: Has not been a past Wordle answer in this site's history.
Common questions
- Which is a better starting word: AUDIO or CARTE?
- In the previous complete benchmark, CARTE has the lower average in games the solver finished within six: 3.53 guesses versus 3.73 for AUDIO. The same solver played from both words.
- What does entropy mean for AUDIO vs CARTE?
- Entropy measures the information in the distribution of feedback outcomes. AUDIO records 4.61 bits and CARTE records 5.79 bits. CARTE 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 AUDIO and CARTE score against past Wordle answers?
- Across 1,876 past Wordle answers, AUDIO left fewer possible answers than CARTE on 32% of days, CARTE did better on 68%, and the rest were ties. On average, AUDIO left 185 candidates after the first guess and CARTE left 73.