Opener Lab
LEAST 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 six-turn results are effectively tied: when the same solver plays from each word, LEAST averages 3.47 guesses and SALET averages 3.46 in games solved within six.
Looking only at the opening row, SALET has higher entropy (5.84 bits versus 5.75). That describes first-guess separation, not the full solve on its own.
Against 1,876 past Wordle answers, SALET left the smaller first-guess group on 50% of dates; LEAST did so on 34%, with the rest tied.
| Metric | LEAST | SALET |
|---|---|---|
| Elimination | 96.6% | 96.9% |
| Information | 5.75 bits | 5.84 bits |
| Avg remaining | 80 words | 73 words |
| Avg turns | 3.47 | 3.46 |
| Missed in six | 0 | 0 |
| Win rate | 100.0% | 100.0% |
| Tier (first turn only) | A | 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, LEAST left an average of 79 candidates and SALET an average of 73.
The most recent test was Wordle #1875 on August 7, 2026, when the answer was FEIGN. LEAST came back ⬛🟩⬛⬛⬛ and kept 67 words in play. SALET came back ⬛⬛⬛🟨⬛ and kept 169 words.
What to expect from the first guess
| Outcome | LEAST | SALET |
|---|---|---|
| First-turn solve* | 0.04% | 0% |
| At least one green | 36.8% | 48.0% |
| Any green or yellow | 90.3% | 90.3% |
| Whole row gray | 9.7% | 9.7% |
| Worst case answers left | 228 | 228 |
*Treating every word in the possible-answer list as equally likely.
Both openers come back completely gray at almost the same rate, so the difference between them lies in how much their hits actually tell you.
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 LEAST
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).
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
LEAST and SALET share 5 of their 5 letters (A, E, L, S, T), so as a pair they only cover 5 distinct letters. Treat them as alternatives rather than partners, because playing both wastes most of the second guess.
Played back to back, LEAST then SALET earns 6.52 bits of information in total, 0.68 bits more than the better word manages alone.
Past Wordle answers
- LEAST: Answer to Wordle #1535 on September 1, 2025. SALET would have come back 🟨🟨🟨🟨🟩 that day, pinning the answer down on the spot.
- SALET: Has not been a past Wordle answer in this site's history.
Common questions
- Which is a better starting word: LEAST or SALET?
- LEAST and SALET are effectively tied on their average guesses in games solved within six in the current bounded policy screen.
- What does entropy mean for LEAST vs SALET?
- Entropy measures the information in the distribution of feedback outcomes. LEAST records 5.75 bits and SALET records 5.84 bits. SALET has the higher score, so its feedback distribution separates the possible answers more effectively on average. Entropy describes the opening row; it does not by itself predict how many guesses a game will take.
- How do LEAST and SALET score against past Wordle answers?
- Across 1,876 past Wordle answers, LEAST left fewer possible answers than SALET on 34% of days, SALET did better on 50%, and the rest were ties. On average, LEAST left 79 candidates after the first guess and SALET left 73.