TTile Streak

How we measured

For every valid five-letter guess, we played it against every word on the Tile Streak answer list and recorded the colors it produced. Words that produce the same colors land in the same group. A starting word is good when those groups are small, because a small group means few words left to choose from on guess two.

For each opener, the table shows:

  • Words left on average: how many possible answers remain after that first guess,

averaged across every answer.

  • Solved in three: the share of answers a simple follow-up strategy found within three

guesses after that opener.

  • Could be the answer: whether the opener is itself on the answer list.

Our answer list is not the same as any other game's list, so these results are for Tile Streak's games. The method works the same way anywhere.

The top starting words

[Table generated from openers-en-5.json: top 25 openers by words left on average.]

The worst starting words

[Table generated from openers-en-5.json: bottom 15 openers by words left on average.]

Most of the worst openers share a pattern: a repeated letter and at least one rare letter. Every tile spent on a letter you have already tested, or on a letter that almost never appears, is a tile that tells you very little.

Why vowels matter, but not too much

Almost every answer has at least one vowel, so testing two or three vowels on the first guess tells you a lot about a word's shape. A first guess with four vowels, though, gives up the consonants that separate words from each other. The strongest openers balance both.

Choosing your second guess

The first guess only matters if you use what it tells you:

  • Lots of gray? Play a second word with five fresh common letters. You have learned

what the word is not; now find what it is.

  • A yellow or two? Move those letters to new spots and add new common letters around

them.

  • A green already? Keep it, and fill the rest with letters you have not tested.
  • Hard mode on? You must reuse every found letter, so an opener that finds a lot early

matters even more.

Try it on the board

The fastest way to learn an opener's color patterns is to play it. Try a new starting word in Unlimited, where a bad result does not cost your streak, then take it to the daily word.

Questions

What makes a starting word good?

A good starting word splits the possible answers into many small groups, whatever colors come back. Words with five different common letters, including two or three vowels, usually do this best.

Is the best starting word the same in every game?

No. The best opener depends on the list of possible answers. A word that scores well against one game's list can be average against another's, which is why we measure against our own.

Should my first guess be able to be the answer?

It helps a little, because there is a small chance of winning in one. But a word that rules out more answers is usually worth more than that small chance.

Should I use the same starting word every day?

Using one strong opener every day is a sound habit. You learn what its color patterns mean and can plan your second guess faster.

What are the worst starting words?

Words that repeat letters or use rare ones, like words with J, Q, X or Z and a double letter. They leave the most possible answers after the first guess. The measured bottom of the list is in the table on this page.