Opener Lab
CRANE vs SALET
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, CRANE averages 3.46 guesses and SALET averages 3.46 in games solved within six.
Looking only at the opening row, SALET has higher entropy (5.84 bits versus 5.73). That describes first-guess separation, not the full solve on its own.
Against 1,876 past Wordle answers, SALET left the smaller first-guess group on 52% of dates; CRANE did so on 48%, with the rest tied.
| Metric | CRANE | SALET |
|---|---|---|
| Elimination | 96.5% | 96.9% |
| Information | 5.73 bits | 5.84 bits |
| Avg remaining | 81 words | 73 words |
| Avg turns | 3.46 | 3.46 |
| 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, CRANE left an average of 78 candidates and SALET an average of 73.
The most recent test was Wordle #1875 on August 7, 2026, when the answer was FEIGN. CRANE came back ⬛⬛⬛🟨🟨 and kept 59 words in play. SALET came back ⬛⬛⬛🟨⬛ and kept 169 words.
What to expect from the first guess
| Outcome | CRANE | SALET |
|---|---|---|
| First-turn solve* | 0.04% | 0% |
| At least one green | 43.5% | 48.0% |
| Any green or yellow | 88.5% | 90.3% |
| Whole row gray | 11.5% | 9.7% |
| Worst case answers left | 272 | 228 |
*Treating every word in the possible-answer list as equally likely.
A fully gray row is rarer with SALET: it happens 9.7% of the time, against 11.5% for CRANE.
SALET 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 CRANE
All five letters miss 11.5% of the time, leaving 272 words in play. Of the 772 follow-ups checked here, MOULT leaves the fewest possible answers on average (7.6).
After SALET
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
CRANE and SALET 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, CRANE then SALET earns 8.68 bits of information in total, 2.85 bits more than the better word manages alone.
Past Wordle answers
- CRANE: Answer to Wordle #732 on June 21, 2023. SALET would have come back ⬛🟨⬛🟨⬛ that day, leaving 83 possible answers.
- SALET: Has not been a past Wordle answer in this site's history.
Common questions
- Which is a better starting word: CRANE or SALET?
- CRANE and SALET are effectively tied on their average guesses in games solved within six in the current bounded policy screen.
- What does entropy mean for CRANE vs SALET?
- Entropy measures the information in the distribution of feedback outcomes. CRANE records 5.73 bits and SALET records 5.84 bits. SALET 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 CRANE and SALET score against past Wordle answers?
- Across 1,876 past Wordle answers, CRANE left fewer possible answers than SALET on 48% of days, SALET did better on 52%, and the rest were ties. On average, CRANE left 78 candidates after the first guess and SALET left 73.