Opener Lab
REAST vs SLATE
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 six-turn results are effectively tied: when the same solver plays from each word, REAST averages 3.47 guesses and SLATE averages 3.47 in games solved within six.
Against 1,858 past Wordle answers, REAST left the smaller first-guess group on 51% of dates; SLATE did so on 48%, with the rest tied.
| Metric | REAST | SLATE |
|---|---|---|
| Elimination | 96.9% | 96.9% |
| Information | 5.86 bits | 5.86 bits |
| Avg remaining | 73 words | 73 words |
| Avg turns | 3.47 | 3.47 |
| 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, REAST left an average of 73 candidates and SLATE an average of 72.
The most recent test was Wordle #1857 on July 20, 2026, when the answer was DIVER. REAST came back 🟨🟨⬛⬛⬛ and kept 124 words in play. SLATE came back ⬛⬛⬛⬛🟨 and kept 169 words.
What to expect from the first guess
| Outcome | REAST | SLATE |
|---|---|---|
| First-turn solve* | 0% | 0.04% |
| At least one green | 36.9% | 46.3% |
| Any green or yellow | 90.1% | 90.3% |
| Whole row gray | 9.9% | 9.7% |
| Worst case answers left | 234 | 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.
REAST 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 REAST
All five letters miss 9.9% of the time, leaving 234 words in play. Of the 734 follow-ups checked here, COULD leaves the fewest possible answers on average (6.9).
After SLATE
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
REAST and SLATE share 4 of their 5 letters (A, E, 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, REAST then SLATE earns 7.29 bits of information in total, 1.43 bits more than the better word manages alone.
Past Wordle answers
- REAST: Has not been a past Wordle answer in this site's history.
- SLATE: Answer to Wordle #548 on December 19, 2022. REAST would have come back ⬛🟨🟩🟨🟨 that day, leaving 8 possible answers.
Common questions
- Which is a better starting word: REAST or SLATE?
- REAST and SLATE are effectively tied on their average guesses in games solved within six in the current bounded policy screen.
- What does entropy mean for REAST vs SLATE?
- Entropy measures the information in the distribution of feedback outcomes. REAST records 5.86 bits and SLATE records 5.86 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 REAST and SLATE score against past Wordle answers?
- Across 1,858 past Wordle answers, REAST left fewer possible answers than SLATE on 51% of days, SLATE did better on 48%, and the rest were ties. On average, REAST left 73 candidates after the first guess and SLATE left 72.