Opener Lab
TRACE vs TRAIL
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 3.49 for TRAIL.
Looking only at the opening row, TRACE has higher entropy (5.82 bits versus 5.60). That describes first-guess separation, not the full solve on its own.
One thing TRAIL does better is damage control. Its worst feedback pattern leaves 225 possible answers, while TRACE can be left staring at 253.
| Metric | TRACE | TRAIL |
|---|---|---|
| Elimination | 96.8% | 96.6% |
| Information | 5.82 bits | 5.60 bits |
| Avg remaining | 76 words | 81 words |
| Avg turns | 3.46 | 3.49 |
| Missed in six | 0 | 0 |
| Win rate | 100.0% | 100.0% |
| Tier | S | A |
What to expect from the first guess
| Outcome | TRACE | TRAIL |
|---|---|---|
| First-turn solve* | 0.04% | 0.04% |
| At least one green | 42.1% | 36.3% |
| Any green or yellow | 89.3% | 90.5% |
| Whole row gray | 10.7% | 9.5% |
| Worst case answers left | 253 | 225 |
*Treating every word in the possible-answer list as equally likely.
A fully gray row is rarer with TRAIL: it happens 9.5% of the time, against 10.7% for TRACE.
How these two openers fit together
TRACE and TRAIL share 3 letters (A, R, T). Played as a pair they cover 7 distinct letters, which still gives the second word room to do useful work.
Played back to back, TRACE then TRAIL earns 7.58 bits of information in total, 1.75 bits more than the better word manages alone.
Past Wordle answers
- TRACE: Answer to the puzzle on December 15, 2021.
- TRAIL: Answer to the puzzle on February 17, 2025.