Opener Lab
ROIST vs TRACE
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. TRACE has the lower average in games solved within six: 3.46 guesses to 3.47 for ROIST.
Looking only at the opening row, TRACE has higher entropy (5.82 bits versus 5.47). That describes first-guess separation, not the full solve on its own.
Against 1,858 past Wordle answers, TRACE left the smaller first-guess group on 55% of dates; ROIST did so on 43%, with the rest tied.
| Metric | ROIST | TRACE |
|---|---|---|
| Elimination | 95.8% | 96.8% |
| Information | 5.47 bits | 5.82 bits |
| Avg remaining | 99 words | 76 words |
| Avg turns | 3.47 | 3.46 |
| Missed in six | 0 | 0 |
| Win rate | 100.0% | 100.0% |
| Tier | A | 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, ROIST left an average of 100 candidates and TRACE an average of 72.
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. TRACE came back ⬛🟨⬛⬛🟨 and kept 117 words.
What to expect from the first guess
| Outcome | ROIST | TRACE |
|---|---|---|
| First-turn solve* | 0% | 0.04% |
| At least one green | 38.9% | 42.1% |
| Any green or yellow | 86.8% | 89.3% |
| Whole row gray | 13.2% | 10.7% |
| Worst case answers left | 312 | 253 |
*Treating every word in the possible-answer list as equally likely.
A fully gray row is rarer with TRACE: it happens 10.7% of the time, against 13.2% for ROIST.
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 TRACE
All five letters miss 10.7% of the time, leaving 253 words in play. Of the 753 follow-ups checked here, SOILY leaves the fewest possible answers on average (7.1).
How these two openers fit together
ROIST and TRACE share 2 letters (R, 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 TRACE earns 8.58 bits of information in total, 2.75 bits more than the better word manages alone.
Past Wordle answers
- ROIST: Has not been a past Wordle answer in this site's history.
- TRACE: Answer to Wordle #179 on December 15, 2021. ROIST would have come back 🟨⬛⬛⬛🟨 that day, leaving 49 possible answers.
Common questions
- Which is a better starting word: ROIST or TRACE?
- In the current bounded policy screen, TRACE has the lower average in games the solver finished within six: 3.46 guesses versus 3.47 for ROIST. The same solver played from both words.
- What does entropy mean for ROIST vs TRACE?
- Entropy measures the information in the distribution of feedback outcomes. ROIST records 5.47 bits and TRACE records 5.82 bits. TRACE 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 TRACE score against past Wordle answers?
- Across 1,858 past Wordle answers, ROIST left fewer possible answers than TRACE on 43% of days, TRACE did better on 55%, and the rest were ties. On average, ROIST left 100 candidates after the first guess and TRACE left 72.