Opener Lab
IRATE vs TRACE
See which word leaves you with the easier game.
Both words are in the current screen of 182 openers, tested against 2,358 answers. Exact misses rank first; average guesses among wins break ties.
The same solver played from both openers. TRACE has the lower average in games solved within six: 3.46 guesses to 3.51 for IRATE.
Against 1,858 past Wordle answers, IRATE left the smaller first-guess group on 58% of dates; TRACE did so on 38%, with the rest tied.
One thing IRATE does better is damage control. Its worst feedback pattern leaves 199 possible answers, while TRACE can be left staring at 253.
| Metric | IRATE | TRACE |
|---|---|---|
| Elimination | 97.2% | 96.8% |
| Information | 5.83 bits | 5.82 bits |
| Avg remaining | 65 words | 76 words |
| Avg turns | 3.51 | 3.46 |
| Missed in six | 0 | 0 |
| Win rate | 100.0% | 100.0% |
| Tier | S | S |
Head to head on past answers
We tried both openers against 1,858 past Wordle answers and counted which one left fewer possibilities after the first guess.
Across those answers, IRATE left an average of 63 candidates and TRACE an average of 72.
The most recent test was Wordle #1857 on July 20, 2026, when the answer was DIVER. IRATE came back 🟨🟨⬛⬛🟨 and kept 35 words in play. TRACE came back ⬛🟨⬛⬛🟨 and kept 117 words.
What to expect from the first guess
| Outcome | IRATE | TRACE |
|---|---|---|
| First-turn solve* | 0.04% | 0.04% |
| At least one green | 39.7% | 42.1% |
| Any green or yellow | 91.6% | 89.3% |
| Whole row gray | 8.4% | 10.7% |
| Worst case answers left | 199 | 253 |
*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 10.7% for TRACE.
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 TRACE
All five letters miss 10.7% of the time, leaving 253 words in play. Of the 753 follow-ups checked here, SOILY leaves the fewest possible answers on average (7.1).
How these two openers fit together
IRATE and TRACE share 4 of their 5 letters (A, E, R, T), so as a pair they only cover 6 distinct letters. Treat them as alternatives rather than partners, because playing both wastes most of the second guess.
Played back to back, IRATE then TRACE earns 6.78 bits of information in total, 0.95 bits more than the better word manages alone.
Past Wordle answers
- IRATE: Answer to Wordle #745 on July 4, 2023. TRACE would have come back 🟨🟩🟩⬛🟩 that day, leaving 2 possible answers.
- TRACE: Answer to Wordle #179 on December 15, 2021. IRATE would have come back ⬛🟩🟩🟨🟩 that day, leaving 2 possible answers.
Common questions
- Which is a better starting word: IRATE or TRACE?
- In the current bounded policy screen, TRACE 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 TRACE?
- Entropy measures the information in the distribution of feedback outcomes. IRATE records 5.83 bits and TRACE records 5.82 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 TRACE score against past Wordle answers?
- Across 1,858 past Wordle answers, IRATE left fewer possible answers than TRACE on 58% of days, TRACE did better on 38%, and the rest were ties. On average, IRATE left 63 candidates after the first guess and TRACE left 72.