Opener Lab

Compare FERNY

Pick a word to compare against.

FERNY C
92.9%
of words eliminated

How FERNY performs

Played first, FERNY removes about 92.9% of the possible-answer list on average and scores 4.69 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, FERNY left an average of 171 possible answers standing after the first guess. Its largest group in that replay came on July 21, 2026, when the answer was SHILL and 370 candidates survived.

First-guess odds

OutcomeFERNY
First-turn solve*0%
At least one green38.4%
Any green or yellow84.3%
Whole row gray15.7%
Worst case answers left370

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