Opener Lab
IRATE vs SALET
See which word leaves you with the easier game.
Both words are in the current screen of 182 openers, tested against 2,360 answers. Exact misses rank first; average guesses among wins break ties.
The same solver played from both openers. SALET has the lower average in games solved within six: 3.46 guesses to 3.51 for IRATE.
Against 1,876 past Wordle answers, IRATE left the smaller first-guess group on 52% of dates; SALET did so on 47%, with the rest tied.
One thing IRATE does better is damage control. Its worst feedback pattern leaves 199 possible answers, while SALET can be left staring at 228.
| Metric | IRATE | SALET |
|---|---|---|
| Elimination | 97.2% | 96.9% |
| Information | 5.83 bits | 5.84 bits |
| Avg remaining | 66 words | 73 words |
| Avg turns | 3.51 | 3.46 |
| Missed in six | 0 | 0 |
| Win rate | 100.0% | 100.0% |
| Tier (first turn only) | S | S |
Head to head on past answers
We tried both openers against 1,876 past Wordle answers and counted which one left fewer possibilities after the first guess.
Across those answers, IRATE left an average of 64 candidates and SALET an average of 73.
The most recent test was Wordle #1875 on August 7, 2026, when the answer was FEIGN. IRATE came back 🟨⬛⬛⬛🟨 and kept 39 words in play. SALET came back ⬛⬛⬛🟨⬛ and kept 169 words.
What to expect from the first guess
| Outcome | IRATE | SALET |
|---|---|---|
| First-turn solve* | 0.04% | 0% |
| At least one green | 39.7% | 48.0% |
| Any green or yellow | 91.6% | 90.3% |
| Whole row gray | 8.4% | 9.7% |
| Worst case answers left | 199 | 228 |
*Treating every word in the possible-answer list as equally likely.
A fully gray row is rarer with IRATE: it happens 8.4% of the time, against 9.7% for SALET.
SALET is not on the possible-answer list, so it cannot solve the game on turn one here. It can still be a useful guess.
Planning the second guess
After IRATE
All five letters miss 8.4% of the time, leaving 199 words in play. Of the 699 follow-ups checked here, SONLY leaves the fewest possible answers on average (6.8).
After SALET
All five letters miss 9.7% of the time, leaving 228 words in play. Of the 728 follow-ups checked here, IRONY leaves the fewest possible answers on average (6.9).
How these two openers fit together
IRATE and SALET share 3 letters (A, E, T). Played as a pair they cover 7 distinct letters, which still gives the second word room to do useful work.
Played back to back, IRATE then SALET earns 8.12 bits of information in total, 2.29 bits more than the better word manages alone.
Past Wordle answers
- IRATE: Answer to Wordle #745 on July 4, 2023. SALET would have come back ⬛🟨⬛🟨🟨 that day, leaving 20 possible answers.
- SALET: Has not been a past Wordle answer in this site's history.
Common questions
- Which is a better starting word: IRATE or SALET?
- In the current bounded policy screen, SALET has the lower average in games the solver finished within six: 3.46 guesses versus 3.51 for IRATE. The same solver played from both words.
- What does entropy mean for IRATE vs SALET?
- Entropy measures the information in the distribution of feedback outcomes. IRATE records 5.83 bits and SALET records 5.84 bits. Their entropy scores are effectively equal. Entropy describes the opening row; it does not by itself predict how many guesses a game will take.
- How do IRATE and SALET score against past Wordle answers?
- Across 1,876 past Wordle answers, IRATE left fewer possible answers than SALET on 52% of days, SALET did better on 47%, and the rest were ties. On average, IRATE left 64 candidates after the first guess and SALET left 73.