Opener Lab
SLANE vs TRICE
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, SLANE averages 3.46 guesses and TRICE averages 3.47 in games solved within six.
Looking only at the opening row, SLANE has higher entropy (5.77 bits versus 5.63). 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; TRICE did so on 47%, with the rest tied.
| Metric | SLANE | TRICE |
|---|---|---|
| Elimination | 96.8% | 96.2% |
| Information | 5.77 bits | 5.63 bits |
| Avg remaining | 76 words | 89 words |
| Avg turns | 3.46 | 3.47 |
| 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, SLANE left an average of 75 candidates and TRICE an average of 87.
The most recent test was Wordle #1857 on July 20, 2026, when the answer was DIVER. SLANE came back ⬛⬛⬛⬛🟨 and kept 178 words in play. TRICE came back ⬛🟨🟨⬛🟨 and kept 31 words.
What to expect from the first guess
| Outcome | SLANE | TRICE |
|---|---|---|
| First-turn solve* | 0% | 0.04% |
| At least one green | 46.3% | 41.2% |
| Any green or yellow | 90.0% | 87.8% |
| Whole row gray | 10.0% | 12.2% |
| Worst case answers left | 235 | 287 |
*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 12.2% for TRICE.
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 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).
After TRICE
All five letters miss 12.2% of the time, leaving 287 words in play. Of the 785 follow-ups checked here, SALON leaves the fewest possible answers on average (7.2).
How these two openers fit together
SLANE and TRICE overlap on a single letter (E), so the pair tests 9 different letters between them.
Played back to back, SLANE then TRICE earns 9.08 bits of information in total, 3.32 bits more than the better word manages alone.
Past Wordle answers
- SLANE: Has not been a past Wordle answer in this site's history.
- TRICE: Answer to Wordle #457 on September 19, 2022. SLANE would have come back ⬛⬛⬛⬛🟩 that day, leaving 101 possible answers.
Common questions
- Which is a better starting word: SLANE or TRICE?
- SLANE and TRICE are effectively tied on their average guesses in games solved within six in the current bounded policy screen.
- What does entropy mean for SLANE vs TRICE?
- Entropy measures the information in the distribution of feedback outcomes. SLANE records 5.77 bits and TRICE records 5.63 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 SLANE and TRICE score against past Wordle answers?
- Across 1,858 past Wordle answers, SLANE left fewer possible answers than TRICE on 53% of days, TRICE did better on 47%, and the rest were ties. On average, SLANE left 75 candidates after the first guess and TRICE left 87.