Opener Lab
CARSE vs SLATE
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, CARSE averages 3.47 guesses and SLATE averages 3.47 in games solved within six.
Looking only at the opening row, SLATE has higher entropy (5.86 bits versus 5.76). That describes first-guess separation, not the full solve on its own.
Against 1,876 past Wordle answers, SLATE left the smaller first-guess group on 53% of dates; CARSE did so on 47%, with the rest tied.
| Metric | CARSE | SLATE |
|---|---|---|
| Elimination | 96.7% | 96.9% |
| Information | 5.76 bits | 5.86 bits |
| Avg remaining | 77 words | 73 words |
| Avg turns | 3.47 | 3.47 |
| Missed in six | 0 | 0 |
| Win rate | 100.0% | 100.0% |
| Tier (first turn only) | A | 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, CARSE left an average of 76 candidates and SLATE an average of 72.
The most recent test was Wordle #1875 on August 7, 2026, when the answer was FEIGN. CARSE came back ⬛⬛⬛⬛🟨 and kept 142 words in play. SLATE came back ⬛⬛⬛⬛🟨 and kept 169 words.
What to expect from the first guess
| Outcome | CARSE | SLATE |
|---|---|---|
| First-turn solve* | 0% | 0.04% |
| At least one green | 43.2% | 46.3% |
| Any green or yellow | 89.7% | 90.3% |
| Whole row gray | 10.3% | 9.7% |
| Worst case answers left | 244 | 228 |
*Treating every word in the possible-answer list as equally likely.
Both openers come back completely gray at almost the same rate, so the difference between them lies in how much their hits actually tell you.
CARSE 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 CARSE
All five letters miss 10.3% of the time, leaving 244 words in play. Of the 744 follow-ups checked here, GUILT leaves the fewest possible answers on average (7.8).
After SLATE
All five letters miss 9.7% of the time, leaving 228 words in play. Of the 728 follow-ups checked here, IRONY leaves the fewest possible answers on average (6.9).
How these two openers fit together
CARSE and SLATE share 3 letters (A, E, S). Played as a pair they cover 7 distinct letters, which still gives the second word room to do useful work.
Played back to back, CARSE then SLATE earns 7.86 bits of information in total, 2.01 bits more than the better word manages alone.
Past Wordle answers
- CARSE: Has not been a past Wordle answer in this site's history.
- SLATE: Answer to Wordle #548 on December 19, 2022. CARSE would have come back ⬛🟨⬛🟨🟩 that day, leaving 21 possible answers.
Common questions
- Which is a better starting word: CARSE or SLATE?
- CARSE and SLATE are effectively tied on their average guesses in games solved within six in the current bounded policy screen.
- What does entropy mean for CARSE vs SLATE?
- Entropy measures the information in the distribution of feedback outcomes. CARSE records 5.76 bits and SLATE records 5.86 bits. SLATE 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 CARSE and SLATE score against past Wordle answers?
- Across 1,876 past Wordle answers, CARSE left fewer possible answers than SLATE on 47% of days, SLATE did better on 53%, and the rest were ties. On average, CARSE left 76 candidates after the first guess and SLATE left 72.