Opener Lab
ROIST vs SLANT
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 same solver played from both openers. SLANT has the lower average in games solved within six: 3.45 guesses to 3.47 for ROIST.
Looking only at the opening row, SLANT has higher entropy (5.49 bits versus 5.47). That describes first-guess separation, not the full solve on its own.
The past-answer results are close: across 1,858 puzzles, ROIST left the smaller first-guess group 48% of the time and SLANT did so 50% of the time, with the rest tied.
| Metric | ROIST | SLANT |
|---|---|---|
| Elimination | 95.8% | 95.7% |
| Information | 5.47 bits | 5.49 bits |
| Avg remaining | 99 words | 101 words |
| Avg turns | 3.47 | 3.45 |
| 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, ROIST left an average of 100 candidates and SLANT an average of 101.
The most recent test was Wordle #1857 on July 20, 2026, when the answer was DIVER. ROIST came back 🟨⬛🟨⬛⬛ and kept 46 words in play. SLANT came back ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ and kept 326 words.
What to expect from the first guess
| Outcome | ROIST | SLANT |
|---|---|---|
| First-turn solve* | 0% | 0.04% |
| At least one green | 38.9% | 41.4% |
| Any green or yellow | 86.8% | 86.2% |
| Whole row gray | 13.2% | 13.8% |
| Worst case answers left | 312 | 326 |
*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.
ROIST 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 ROIST
All five letters miss 13.2% of the time, leaving 312 words in play. Of the 808 follow-ups checked here, LANCE leaves the fewest possible answers on average (6.6).
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
ROIST and SLANT share 2 letters (S, T). Played as a pair they cover 8 distinct letters, which still gives the second word room to do useful work.
Played back to back, ROIST then SLANT earns 8.26 bits of information in total, 2.77 bits more than the better word manages alone.
Past Wordle answers
- ROIST: Has not been a past Wordle answer in this site's history.
- SLANT: Has not been a past Wordle answer in this site's history.
Common questions
- Which is a better starting word: ROIST 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 ROIST. The same solver played from both words.
- What does entropy mean for ROIST vs SLANT?
- Entropy measures the information in the distribution of feedback outcomes. ROIST records 5.47 bits and SLANT records 5.49 bits. SLANT 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 ROIST and SLANT score against past Wordle answers?
- Across 1,858 past Wordle answers, ROIST left fewer possible answers than SLANT on 48% of days, SLANT did better on 50%, and the rest were ties. On average, ROIST left 100 candidates after the first guess and SLANT left 101.