Opener Lab
ROAST vs SLANE
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, ROAST averages 3.46 guesses and SLANE averages 3.46 in games solved within six.
Looking only at the opening row, SLANE has higher entropy (5.77 bits versus 5.65). That describes first-guess separation, not the full solve on its own.
Against 1,858 past Wordle answers, SLANE left the smaller first-guess group on 53% of dates; ROAST did so on 45%, with the rest tied.
| Metric | ROAST | SLANE |
|---|---|---|
| Elimination | 96.4% | 96.8% |
| Information | 5.65 bits | 5.77 bits |
| Avg remaining | 85 words | 76 words |
| Avg turns | 3.46 | 3.46 |
| Missed in six | 0 | 0 |
| Win rate | 100.0% | 100.0% |
| Tier | A | A |
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, ROAST left an average of 84 candidates and SLANE an average of 75.
The most recent test was Wordle #1857 on July 20, 2026, when the answer was DIVER. ROAST came back 🟨⬛⬛⬛⬛ and kept 157 words in play. SLANE came back ⬛⬛⬛⬛🟨 and kept 178 words.
What to expect from the first guess
| Outcome | ROAST | SLANE |
|---|---|---|
| First-turn solve* | 0.04% | 0% |
| At least one green | 39.6% | 46.3% |
| Any green or yellow | 88.5% | 90.0% |
| Whole row gray | 11.5% | 10.0% |
| Worst case answers left | 270 | 235 |
*Treating every word in the possible-answer list as equally likely.
A fully gray row is rarer with SLANE: it happens 10.0% of the time, against 11.5% for ROAST.
SLANE 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 ROAST
All five letters miss 11.5% of the time, leaving 270 words in play. Of the 770 follow-ups checked here, CLINE leaves the fewest possible answers on average (5.8).
After SLANE
All five letters miss 10.0% of the time, leaving 235 words in play. Of the 735 follow-ups checked here, COURT leaves the fewest possible answers on average (6.2).
How these two openers fit together
ROAST and SLANE share 2 letters (A, S). Played as a pair they cover 8 distinct letters, which still gives the second word room to do useful work.
Played back to back, ROAST then SLANE earns 8.51 bits of information in total, 2.74 bits more than the better word manages alone.
Past Wordle answers
- ROAST: Has not been a past Wordle answer in this site's history.
- SLANE: Has not been a past Wordle answer in this site's history.
Common questions
- Which is a better starting word: ROAST or SLANE?
- ROAST and SLANE are effectively tied on their average guesses in games solved within six in the current bounded policy screen.
- What does entropy mean for ROAST vs SLANE?
- Entropy measures the information in the distribution of feedback outcomes. ROAST records 5.65 bits and SLANE records 5.77 bits. SLANE 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 ROAST and SLANE score against past Wordle answers?
- Across 1,858 past Wordle answers, ROAST left fewer possible answers than SLANE on 45% of days, SLANE did better on 53%, and the rest were ties. On average, ROAST left 84 candidates after the first guess and SLANE left 75.