Opener Lab
Compare HESTS
Pick a word to compare against.
How HESTS performs
Played first, HESTS removes about 89.6% of the possible-answer list on average and scores 4.22 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, HESTS left an average of 246 possible answers standing after the first guess. Its largest group in that replay came on July 12, 2026, when the answer was CLACK and 545 candidates survived.
First-guess odds
| Outcome | HESTS |
|---|---|
| First-turn solve* | 0% |
| At least one green | 21.8% |
| Any green or yellow | 76.9% |
| Whole row gray | 23.1% |
| Worst case answers left | 545 |
*Treating every word in the possible-answer list as equally likely.