5 FiveLetterWords
Very unlikely Accepted guess B tier for first-turn info

PANCE

PANCE is an accepted guess. Its modelled answer likelihood is very unlikely; no globally completed appearance is recorded here.

Meaning and pronunciation

Noun

Pansy (flower)

Alternative forms: paunce

Source: Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0. Corrections.

Use PANCE in a puzzle

As an opener, it rules out about 95.0% of possible answers.

Open Solver with PANCE Open Word Finder

Wordle status

Answer chance: very unlikely. Roughly 0.05% within a year (about 1 in 2,113), under the model through 2026-11-05. This is an estimate, not a publisher forecast. How this is calculated.

Playable guess

Yes

Included in the Wordle guess list used by our tools.

Earlier benchmark pool

No

Membership in the preserved uniform benchmark; it is not a future eligibility rule.

Past Wordle answer

No completed appearance

No appearance in our globally completed history. A recent puzzle may still be live elsewhere.

The possible-answer list is the solver's current list and may change when Wordle adds new answers.

How PANCE performs as a guess

Wordle accepts PANCE as a guess. It is outside this preserved uniform benchmark’s answer pool; that is not a claim about future eligibility.

Played as an opener, it lands at least one colored tile in 85.9% of games, misses completely in 14.1%, and leaves about 119 possible answers on average.

In the previous complete opener benchmark, it ranks #592 of 14,855 openers, averaging 3.59 guesses in games solved within six turns.

Try your feedback pattern

Tap the tiles to match your feedback, then see the ranked follow-up guesses.

All gray? Tap a tile to cycle gray → yellow → green.
See strategy patterns

Useful pattern pages

If you only know part of the word, start with one of these matching patterns.

P___E P in the 1st position and E in the 5th position P__C_ P in the 1st position and C in the 4th position _A__E A in the 2nd position and E in the 5th position

Explore lists that match the beginning, ending or letters in PANCE.

First-turn measures

All four describe PANCE used as an opening guess. Entropy is the same idea as “avg ruled out” on a log scale: a higher number means the guess splits the possible answers into more, smaller groups.

5.27 Entropy (bits)
119 Avg remaining
0.0% Exact match
95.0% Avg ruled out

As an opening guess: previous benchmark

How PANCE performed in the previous complete opener benchmark, against its captured answer snapshot. These research figures are separate from today's solver recommendations. See the data page for the method.

3.59 Avg guesses
99.92% Solved within six
0.69 Spread of game lengths
#592 Rank among openers
Opening with PANCE left 2 of the snapshot's answers unsolved after six guesses. A spread of 0.69 means those games clustered within about 0.69 of a guess of the 3.59 average. It ranks #592 of 14,855 openers by average guesses in games solved within six.
1 guess
0
2 guesses
75
3 guesses
1,007
4 guesses
1,100
5 guesses
154
6 guesses
16

Composition

5/5 unique
2 vowels
Common:
AEN

Feedback chances

Any hit (G/Y)
86%
Green tile
40%
All gray
14%

When PANCE is useful later

PANCE tied for the smallest expected survivor count in 1 of 54 sampled positions where it was legal. This designed sample is not a measure of how often real players should use it.

After ROATE: 3 candidates, normal mode

ROATE: 10101 (0 = grey, 1 = yellow, 2 = green).

AWNER: 10011 (0 = grey, 1 = yellow, 2 = green).

ZEBRA: 01012 (0 = grey, 1 = yellow, 2 = green).

Remaining answers: CREMA, ERICA, PRESA.

With a budget of 3 more guesses, PANCE is an information probe, outside this survivor list. It leaves 1.00 candidates on average under the model. Every feedback identifies a single candidate; another turn may be needed to submit it.

Try this position in the Solver
Sample and method

Every saved board is reachable within a six-turn game. Remaining turns equal six minus the saved history length. The sampling policy is independent of the expected-survivor metric. Two states at each of three depths per opener were selected by a fixed hash from an independent candidate-only sampling policy. Every accepted guess was evaluated. Model answer-model-2026-11-05-9183a914c959, data through 2026-11-05. The score measures expected survivors, not proved solve length or human difficulty.

How this is calculated.

How the solver finds PANCE

The strategy receives only earlier guesses and their feedback. It does not know the answer before choosing a move. Guessing the answer itself on turn one is a lucky one-turn result, not a recommended general strategy.

Normal mode

Our solver: bounded weighted policy. Current-pool replay over 14,855 accepted words. Model through 2026-11-05.

  1. The fixed opener tests its five letters.

    14,855 before → 106 after. This feedback leaves 106 candidates.

    All 106 surviving candidates

    BACNE, BADGE, BAGIE, BAILE, BAIZE, BAYLE, CABLE, CACHE, CADEE, CADGE, CADIE, CAFFE, CALLE, CALVE, CANOE, CAPLE, CAVIE, DAINE, DALLE, DAMME, DANCE, DAUBE, EAGLE, FABLE, FACIE, FADGE, FAINE, FAKIE, FAUVE, FAYNE, GABLE, GADGE, GADJE, GAFFE, GAMBE, GAMME, GAUGE, GAUJE, GAUZE, HABLE, HALVE, HANCE, HAOLE, HAYLE, HAZLE, JAKIE, JAMBE, JAUNE, JAXIE, KAMME, KANAE, KAYLE, LABNE, LADEE, LADLE, LAIDE, LANCE, LANDE, LAPJE, LAUDE, MACHE, MACLE, MADGE, MAHOE, MAILE, MAIZE, MAJOE, MAKEE, MAKIE, MALAE, MAMEE, MAMIE, MANGE, MANIE, MAPLE, MAUVE, MAVIE, MAYBE, NACHE, NAEVE, NAICE, NAIVE, NANCE, NAPPE, PADLE, PAGLE, PAGNE, PAIPE, PANCE, PANNE, PAVIE, PAYEE, VADGE, VAGUE, VALUE, VALVE, WACKE, WADGE, WAIDE, WAIVE, WALIE, WANLE, WANZE, ZAIDE, ZANZE, ZAYDE

    Decision measures before feedback

    Expected remaining candidates: 414.45. Information: 5.74 bits. These measures describe the decision before its realised feedback.

  2. Test VANES against the 106 candidates consistent with the earlier rows.

    106 before → 14 after. This feedback leaves 14 candidates.

    All 14 surviving candidates

    CANOE, DANCE, HANCE, KANAE, LANCE, LANDE, MANGE, MANIE, NANCE, PANCE, PANNE, WANLE, WANZE, ZANZE

    Decision measures before feedback

    Expected remaining candidates: 16.451. Information: 2.003 bits. These measures describe the decision before its realised feedback.

  3. Test CAGES against the 14 candidates consistent with the earlier rows.

    14 before → 5 after. This feedback leaves 5 candidates.

    All 5 surviving candidates

    DANCE, HANCE, LANCE, NANCE, PANCE

    Decision measures before feedback

    Expected remaining candidates: 1.086. Information: 0.187 bits. These measures describe the decision before its realised feedback.

  4. Test DALES against the 5 candidates consistent with the earlier rows.

    5 before → 3 after. This feedback leaves 3 candidates.

    All 3 surviving candidates

    HANCE, NANCE, PANCE

    Decision measures before feedback

    Expected remaining candidates: 1.505. Information: 1.563 bits. These measures describe the decision before its realised feedback.

  5. Test HANCE against the 3 candidates consistent with the earlier rows.

    3 before → 2 after. This feedback leaves 2 candidates.

    All 2 surviving candidates

    NANCE, PANCE

    Decision measures before feedback

    Expected remaining candidates: 1.667. Information: 0.918 bits. These measures describe the decision before its realised feedback.

  6. Test NANCE against the 2 candidates consistent with the earlier rows.

    2 before → 1 after. This feedback leaves 1 candidate.

    All 1 surviving candidates

    PANCE

    Decision measures before feedback

    Expected remaining candidates: 1.0. Information: 1.0 bits. These measures describe the decision before its realised feedback.

This policy did not solve within six guesses. Uniquely identified on turn 6.

Continue this board in the Solver

Hard Mode

Our solver: bounded weighted policy. Current-pool replay over 14,855 accepted words. Model through 2026-11-05.

  1. The fixed opener tests its five letters.

    14,855 before → 106 after. This feedback leaves 106 candidates.

    All 106 surviving candidates

    BACNE, BADGE, BAGIE, BAILE, BAIZE, BAYLE, CABLE, CACHE, CADEE, CADGE, CADIE, CAFFE, CALLE, CALVE, CANOE, CAPLE, CAVIE, DAINE, DALLE, DAMME, DANCE, DAUBE, EAGLE, FABLE, FACIE, FADGE, FAINE, FAKIE, FAUVE, FAYNE, GABLE, GADGE, GADJE, GAFFE, GAMBE, GAMME, GAUGE, GAUJE, GAUZE, HABLE, HALVE, HANCE, HAOLE, HAYLE, HAZLE, JAKIE, JAMBE, JAUNE, JAXIE, KAMME, KANAE, KAYLE, LABNE, LADEE, LADLE, LAIDE, LANCE, LANDE, LAPJE, LAUDE, MACHE, MACLE, MADGE, MAHOE, MAILE, MAIZE, MAJOE, MAKEE, MAKIE, MALAE, MAMEE, MAMIE, MANGE, MANIE, MAPLE, MAUVE, MAVIE, MAYBE, NACHE, NAEVE, NAICE, NAIVE, NANCE, NAPPE, PADLE, PAGLE, PAGNE, PAIPE, PANCE, PANNE, PAVIE, PAYEE, VADGE, VAGUE, VALUE, VALVE, WACKE, WADGE, WAIDE, WAIVE, WALIE, WANLE, WANZE, ZAIDE, ZANZE, ZAYDE

    Decision measures before feedback

    Expected remaining candidates: 414.45. Information: 5.74 bits. These measures describe the decision before its realised feedback.

  2. Test NAEVE against the 106 candidates consistent with the earlier rows.

    106 before → 20 after. This feedback leaves 20 candidates.

    All 20 surviving candidates

    BACNE, CANOE, DAINE, DANCE, FAINE, FAYNE, HANCE, JAUNE, KANAE, LABNE, LANCE, LANDE, MANGE, MANIE, PAGNE, PANCE, PANNE, WANLE, WANZE, ZANZE

    Decision measures before feedback

    Expected remaining candidates: 17.492. Information: 1.99 bits. These measures describe the decision before its realised feedback.

  3. Test PAGNE against the 20 candidates consistent with the earlier rows.

    20 before → 1 after. This feedback leaves 1 candidate.

    All 1 surviving candidates

    PANCE

    Decision measures before feedback

    Expected remaining candidates: 1.203. Information: 0.221 bits. These measures describe the decision before its realised feedback.

  4. Submit the only remaining candidate.

    1 before → 1 after. The answer is submitted and solved.

    All 1 surviving candidates

    PANCE

    Decision measures before feedback

    Expected remaining candidates: 1.0. Information: 0.0 bits. These measures describe the decision before its realised feedback.

Solved in 4 guesses. Uniquely identified on turn 3.

Continue this board in the Solver

How the fixed opener panel performs on this answer

OpenerFirst feedbackSurvivorsNormalHard Mode
TARSE02002 (0 grey, 1 yellow, 2 green)106Not solved in six4
CRANE10112 (0 grey, 1 yellow, 2 green)855
SLATE00102 (0 grey, 1 yellow, 2 green)1976Not solved in six
ADIEU10010 (0 grey, 1 yellow, 2 green)775Not solved in sixNot solved in six
STARE00102 (0 grey, 1 yellow, 2 green)1856Not solved in six
AUDIO10000 (0 grey, 1 yellow, 2 green)251366
RAISE02002 (0 grey, 1 yellow, 2 green)10464
ROATE00102 (0 grey, 1 yellow, 2 green)198Not solved in sixNot solved in six
SALET02010 (0 grey, 1 yellow, 2 green)12444
Normal mode
1 guess: 0 · 2 guesses: 0 · 3 guesses: 0 · 4 guesses: 1 · 5 guesses: 1 · 6 guesses: 4 · Failed in six: 3
Hard Mode
1 guess: 0 · 2 guesses: 0 · 3 guesses: 0 · 4 guesses: 3 · 5 guesses: 1 · 6 guesses: 1 · Failed in six: 4

The nine openers use the same pool and continuation policy. Across both modes: 4–6 guesses among successes; 7 of 18 configurations failed. This is performance on this answer, not an overall opener ranking.

32 openers set up a two-turn opportunity; examples include PLACE, SPACE, PEACE, PLANE, PANEL, PANIC, PATCH, PEACH, PACED, PACES. After their feedback, this answer is among the most likely survivors with at least half the model probability. This is an opportunity, not a guarantee. An opener that immediately solves is excluded.

Why this answer can be difficult

The worked board still allows 5 different answers at one later decision: DANCE, HANCE, LANCE, NANCE, PANCE. These are mechanical alternatives, not a judgement of vocabulary difficulty.

Vocabulary evidence and voluntary player results are reported separately from these solver observations.

Closest competing answers in this board

These words all fit the earlier feedback, rather than merely sharing similar spelling: DANCE, HANCE, LANCE, NANCE, PANCE.

A lesson from this route

Before DALES, 5 words still fit. Its feedback left 3; check the full survivor list before choosing the next answer.

Try another opener or a different move

How this is calculated

The current policy checks all remaining candidates and up to 128 fixed probes. At six or fewer candidates it uses bounded lookahead, preferring modelled six-turn success, then speed among successes. Larger states use expected survivors as a heuristic. These are recommendations, not proofs of optimal play. Hard Mode retains green positions and revealed letter counts; it allows grey letters and a yellow in the same position. Candidate-only play is stricter.

Methods and limitations

Feedback distribution

PANCE can come back 121 different ways. These are the most likely, and how many of the possible answers give each one:

338 answers
228 answers
175 answers
141 answers
110 answers
92 answers
86 answers
77 answers
77 answers
59 answers
54 answers
53 answers
43 answers
43 answers
39 answers
35 answers
32 answers
31 answers
30 answers
29 answers
27 answers
27 answers
23 answers
21 answers
19 answers
19 answers
18 answers
18 answers
17 answers
17 answers

Letter-value totals

Base letter-value totals for PANCE; these do not show whether either game accepts the word.

Scrabble

P3A1N1C3E1
Total: 9 points

Words With Friends

Total: 12 points

Scores shown are base values without double/triple letter or word bonuses.

Try next

STORY DETER SLART SOILY SIREN SOULY

Strategy after playing PANCE

What the solver recommends next for each way the board can respond to PANCE.

Quick reference

Largest feedback groups after playing PANCE:

14% chance
Suggested:
STORY
10% chance
Suggested:
DETER
7% chance
Suggested:
SLART

Follow-ups for common patterns

Ranked follow-up guesses for the 10 most common feedback patterns.

14.1% →
STORY 5.63 bits
9.5% →
DETER 5.41 bits
7.3% →
SLART 5.46 bits
5.9% →
SOILY 4.56 bits
4.6% →
SOILY 4.75 bits
3.8% →
SOILY 4.41 bits
3.6% →
SLART 4.79 bits
3.2% →
SIREN 4.17 bits
3.2% →
SLART 4.49 bits
2.5% →
SOULY 4.81 bits

Research on PANCE

Game-tree analysis and word research for PANCE, with an explanation for each figure.

Optimal play

Opening with PANCE, a proven-optimal strategy averages 3.61 guesses and ranks #294 of 14,855 legal openers. The best proven opener, TARSE, averages 3.55.

No guaranteed hard-mode solve In hard mode, no strategy that opens with PANCE can guarantee a solve within six guesses.

Our six-turn simulation says 3.59, at or below the proven-optimal 3.61, because the two figures score different answer lists.

These figures come from exhaustive game-tree search and are exact for the NYT lists of July 2023 (3,158 answers). They do not use the site's working answer pool.

Familiarity and learning

Frequency
PANCE sits in the rare band of the wordfreq scale, appearing less than once per million words in the source corpus. Corpus frequency does not measure every reader’s familiarity.

Sources: Optimal-play values: Alex Selby's exhaustive Wordle analysis (MIT); Word frequency: wordfreq (data CC BY-SA 4.0).