Opener Lab
Compare HERLS
Pick a word to compare against.
How HERLS performs
Played first, HERLS removes about 95.3% of the possible-answer list on average and scores 5.14 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, HERLS left an average of 110 possible answers standing after the first guess. Its largest group in that replay came on July 11, 2026, when the answer was AVIAN and 263 candidates survived.
First-guess odds
| Outcome | HERLS |
|---|---|
| First-turn solve* | 0% |
| At least one green | 25.9% |
| Any green or yellow | 88.9% |
| Whole row gray | 11.1% |
| Worst case answers left | 263 |
*Treating every word in the possible-answer list as equally likely.