Opener Lab

Compare ZOWIE

Pick a word to compare against.

ZOWIE C
90.9%
of words eliminated

How ZOWIE performs

Played first, ZOWIE removes about 90.9% of the possible-answer list on average and scores 4.11 bits of information. It is not on the possible-answer list, but it can still be useful because of the feedback groups it creates.

Tried against 1,859 past Wordle answers, ZOWIE left an average of 211 possible answers standing after the first guess. Its largest group in that replay came on July 19, 2026, when the answer was CHURN and 428 candidates survived.

First-guess odds

OutcomeZOWIE
First-turn solve*0%
At least one green35.3%
Any green or yellow81.9%
Whole row gray18.1%
Worst case answers left428

*Treating every word in the possible-answer list as equally likely.