Opener Lab

Compare DOWSE

Pick a word to compare against.

DOWSE C
92.9%
of words eliminated

How DOWSE performs

Played first, DOWSE removes about 92.9% of the possible-answer list on average and scores 4.74 bits of information. It is not on the possible-answer list, but it can still be useful because of the feedback groups it creates.

Tried against 1,859 past Wordle answers, DOWSE left an average of 166 possible answers standing after the first guess. Its largest group in that replay came on July 19, 2026, when the answer was CHURN and 412 candidates survived.

First-guess odds

OutcomeDOWSE
First-turn solve*0%
At least one green37.1%
Any green or yellow82.5%
Whole row gray17.5%
Worst case answers left412

*Treating every word in the possible-answer list as equally likely.