Opener Lab
SMELL vs TRACE
See which word leaves you with the easier game.
These game-length figures come from the previous complete opener benchmark against its 2,354-answer snapshot, ranked by average guesses among games solved within six. Its answer snapshot and continuation policy are separate from today's solver recommendations.
The same solver played from both openers. TRACE has the lower average in games solved within six: 3.53 guesses to 3.75 for SMELL.
Looking only at the opening row, TRACE has higher entropy (5.82 bits versus 4.31). That describes first-guess separation, not the full solve on its own.
| Metric | SMELL | TRACE |
|---|---|---|
| Elimination | 90.1% | 96.8% |
| Information | 4.31 bits | 5.82 bits |
| Avg remaining | 233 words | 76 words |
| Avg turns | 3.75 | 3.53 |
| Win rate | 100.0% | 99.9% |
| Tier | C | S |
What to expect from the first guess
| Outcome | SMELL | TRACE |
|---|---|---|
| First-turn solve* | 0.04% | 0.04% |
| At least one green | 31.9% | 42.1% |
| Any green or yellow | 78.1% | 89.3% |
| Whole row gray | 21.9% | 10.7% |
| Worst case answers left | 517 | 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 21.9% for SMELL.
How these two openers fit together
SMELL and TRACE overlap on a single letter (E), so the pair tests 8 different letters between them.
Played back to back, SMELL then TRACE earns 8.42 bits of information in total, 2.60 bits more than the better word manages alone.
Past Wordle answers
- SMELL: Answer to the puzzle on March 12, 2026.
- TRACE: Answer to the puzzle on December 15, 2021.