Opener Lab
LEAST vs STALE
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. LEAST has the lower average in games solved within six: 3.47 guesses to 3.49 for STALE.
Against 1,876 past Wordle answers, STALE left the smaller first-guess group on 47% of dates; LEAST did so on 34%, with the rest tied.
| Metric | LEAST | STALE |
|---|---|---|
| Elimination | 96.6% | 96.7% |
| Information | 5.75 bits | 5.74 bits |
| Avg remaining | 80 words | 77 words |
| Avg turns | 3.47 | 3.49 |
| 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 STALE an average of 76.
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. STALE came back ⬛⬛⬛⬛🟨 and kept 169 words.
What to expect from the first guess
| Outcome | LEAST | STALE |
|---|---|---|
| First-turn solve* | 0.04% | 0.04% |
| At least one green | 36.8% | 42.3% |
| 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.
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 STALE
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 STALE 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 STALE earns 6.42 bits of information in total, 0.67 bits more than the better word manages alone.
Past Wordle answers
- LEAST: Answer to Wordle #1535 on September 1, 2025. STALE would have come back 🟨🟨🟩🟨🟨 that day, pinning the answer down on the spot.
- STALE: Answer to Wordle #505 on November 6, 2022. LEAST would have come back 🟨🟨🟩🟨🟨 that day, leaving 2 possible answers.
Common questions
- Which is a better starting word: LEAST or STALE?
- In the current bounded policy screen, LEAST has the lower average in games the solver finished within six: 3.47 guesses versus 3.49 for STALE. The same solver played from both words.
- What does entropy mean for LEAST vs STALE?
- Entropy measures the information in the distribution of feedback outcomes. LEAST records 5.75 bits and STALE records 5.74 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 LEAST and STALE score against past Wordle answers?
- Across 1,876 past Wordle answers, LEAST left fewer possible answers than STALE on 34% of days, STALE did better on 47%, and the rest were ties. On average, LEAST left 79 candidates after the first guess and STALE left 76.