Opener Lab
CRANE vs TARES
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. CRANE has the lower average in games solved within six: 3.55 guesses to 3.57 for TARES.
Looking only at the opening row, TARES has higher entropy (5.75 bits versus 5.73). That describes first-guess separation, not the full solve on its own.
One thing TARES does better is damage control. Its worst feedback pattern leaves 234 possible answers, while CRANE can be left staring at 272.
| Metric | CRANE | TARES |
|---|---|---|
| Elimination | 96.6% | 96.9% |
| Information | 5.73 bits | 5.75 bits |
| Avg remaining | 81 words | 73 words |
| Avg turns | 3.55 | 3.57 |
| Win rate | 99.9% | 99.9% |
| Tier | A | A |
What to expect from the first guess
| Outcome | CRANE | TARES |
|---|---|---|
| First-turn solve* | 0.04% | 0% |
| At least one green | 43.5% | 35.5% |
| Any green or yellow | 88.5% | 90.1% |
| Whole row gray | 11.5% | 9.9% |
| Worst case answers left | 272 | 234 |
*Treating every word in the possible-answer list as equally likely.
A fully gray row is rarer with TARES: it happens 9.9% of the time, against 11.5% for CRANE.
TARES is not on the possible-answer list, so it cannot solve the game on turn one here. It can still be a useful guess.
How these two openers fit together
CRANE and TARES share 3 letters (A, E, R). Played as a pair they cover 7 distinct letters, which still gives the second word room to do useful work.
Played back to back, CRANE then TARES earns 7.97 bits of information in total, 2.22 bits more than the better word manages alone.
Past Wordle answers
- CRANE: Answer to the puzzle on June 21, 2023.
- TARES: Has not been a past Wordle answer in this site's history.