Opener Lab
LEAST vs SLANT
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. SLANT has the lower average in games solved within six: 3.45 guesses to 3.47 for LEAST.
Looking only at the opening row, LEAST has higher entropy (5.75 bits versus 5.49). That describes first-guess separation, not the full solve on its own.
Against 1,876 past Wordle answers, LEAST left the smaller first-guess group on 65% of dates; SLANT did so on 33%, with the rest tied.
One thing LEAST does better is damage control. Its worst feedback pattern leaves 228 possible answers, while SLANT can be left staring at 326.
| Metric | LEAST | SLANT |
|---|---|---|
| Elimination | 96.6% | 95.7% |
| Information | 5.75 bits | 5.49 bits |
| Avg remaining | 80 words | 101 words |
| Avg turns | 3.47 | 3.45 |
| Missed in six | 0 | 0 |
| Win rate | 100.0% | 100.0% |
| Tier (first turn only) | A | A |
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 SLANT an average of 100.
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. SLANT came back ⬛⬛⬛🟨⬛ and kept 123 words.
What to expect from the first guess
| Outcome | LEAST | SLANT |
|---|---|---|
| First-turn solve* | 0.04% | 0.04% |
| At least one green | 36.8% | 41.5% |
| Any green or yellow | 90.3% | 86.2% |
| Whole row gray | 9.7% | 13.8% |
| Worst case answers left | 228 | 326 |
*Treating every word in the possible-answer list as equally likely.
A fully gray row is rarer with LEAST: it happens 9.7% of the time, against 13.8% for SLANT.
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 SLANT
All five letters miss 13.8% of the time, leaving 326 words in play. Of the 824 follow-ups checked here, DECOR leaves the fewest possible answers on average (8.4).
How these two openers fit together
LEAST and SLANT share 4 of their 5 letters (A, L, S, 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, LEAST then SLANT earns 6.91 bits of information in total, 1.16 bits more than the better word manages alone.
Past Wordle answers
- LEAST: Answer to Wordle #1535 on September 1, 2025. SLANT would have come back 🟨🟨🟩⬛🟩 that day, pinning the answer down on the spot.
- SLANT: Has not been a past Wordle answer in this site's history.
Common questions
- Which is a better starting word: LEAST or SLANT?
- In the current bounded policy screen, SLANT has the lower average in games the solver finished within six: 3.45 guesses versus 3.47 for LEAST. The same solver played from both words.
- What does entropy mean for LEAST vs SLANT?
- Entropy measures the information in the distribution of feedback outcomes. LEAST records 5.75 bits and SLANT records 5.49 bits. LEAST 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 SLANT score against past Wordle answers?
- Across 1,876 past Wordle answers, LEAST left fewer possible answers than SLANT on 65% of days, SLANT did better on 33%, and the rest were ties. On average, LEAST left 79 candidates after the first guess and SLANT left 100.