Opener Lab
SLART 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 same solver played from both openers. SLART has the lower average in games solved within six: 3.46 guesses to 3.47 for TRICE.
Against 1,858 past Wordle answers, SLART left the smaller first-guess group on 52% of dates; TRICE did so on 47%, with the rest tied.
| Metric | SLART | TRICE |
|---|---|---|
| Elimination | 96.3% | 96.2% |
| Information | 5.63 bits | 5.63 bits |
| Avg remaining | 88 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, SLART left an average of 88 candidates and TRICE an average of 87.
The most recent test was Wordle #1857 on July 20, 2026, when the answer was DIVER. SLART came back ⬛⬛⬛🟨⬛ and kept 224 words in play. TRICE came back ⬛🟨🟨⬛🟨 and kept 31 words.
What to expect from the first guess
| Outcome | SLART | TRICE |
|---|---|---|
| First-turn solve* | 0% | 0.04% |
| At least one green | 40.8% | 41.2% |
| Any green or yellow | 89.3% | 87.8% |
| Whole row gray | 10.7% | 12.2% |
| Worst case answers left | 252 | 287 |
*Treating every word in the possible-answer list as equally likely.
A fully gray row is rarer with SLART: it happens 10.7% of the time, against 12.2% for TRICE.
SLART 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 SLART
All five letters miss 10.7% of the time, leaving 252 words in play. Of the 751 follow-ups checked here, DUNCE leaves the fewest possible answers on average (6.9).
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
SLART and TRICE 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, SLART then TRICE earns 8.69 bits of information in total, 3.06 bits more than the better word manages alone.
Past Wordle answers
- SLART: Has not been a past Wordle answer in this site's history.
- TRICE: Answer to Wordle #457 on September 19, 2022. SLART would have come back ⬛⬛⬛🟨🟨 that day, leaving 61 possible answers.
Common questions
- Which is a better starting word: SLART or TRICE?
- In the current bounded policy screen, SLART has the lower average in games the solver finished within six: 3.46 guesses versus 3.47 for TRICE. The same solver played from both words.
- What does entropy mean for SLART vs TRICE?
- Entropy measures the information in the distribution of feedback outcomes. SLART records 5.63 bits and TRICE records 5.63 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 SLART and TRICE score against past Wordle answers?
- Across 1,858 past Wordle answers, SLART left fewer possible answers than TRICE on 52% of days, TRICE did better on 47%, and the rest were ties. On average, SLART left 88 candidates after the first guess and TRICE left 87.