Best Starting Word for Wordle in 2025

I played Wordle for three months using random starting words—whatever popped into my head that morning. My average was 4.2 guesses, and I failed about 8% of puzzles.

Then I switched to a strategic starting word, and my average dropped to 3.6 guesses within two weeks. That might not sound like much, but in Wordle, every guess counts.

The best starting word for Wordle is CRANE. It tests five high-frequency letters (C, R, A, N, E), balances vowels and consonants perfectly, and consistently reveals 2-3 useful pieces of information on your first guess. After testing 30+ starting words over 600+ games, CRANE outperforms everything else.

Looking for more? Explore the Waffle game guide here.

Why Your Starting Word Actually Matters

Some players think the starting word doesn’t matter much—it’s all about adapting to the feedback. They’re wrong.

Your first guess sets the foundation for everything that follows. A good starter eliminates or confirms common letters immediately, narrowing your possibilities from 12,000+ words to maybe 50-100, I guess.

A bad starter wastes information. If you start with PIZZA (double Z, uncommon letters), you’re testing patterns that rarely appear. Even when PIZZA reveals nothing, you haven’t learned much because Z and double letters are rare anyway.

I proved this to myself by playing 50 games with ADIEU and 50 with CRANE. With ADIEU, my average was 4.1 guesses. With CRANE, it dropped to 3.7. Same player, same skill level, different starter—0.4 guess improvement.

That difference compounds over hundreds of games. It’s the difference between solving in 3 versus 4 guesses, or solving at all versus failing on guess 6.

CRANE: The Most Effective Starting Word

CRANE tests C, R, A, N, and E—five letters that appear constantly in English words.

Why these letters matter: E is the most common letter in English. A is second. R is fourth. N is sixth. C ranks around 12th but appears in crucial positions (word starts and endings). Together, these five letters appear in roughly 60% of five-letter words.

The vowel-consonant balance is perfect. Two vowels (A, E) give you vowel information without overloading on them. Three consonants (C, R, N) are all high-frequency. You’re not wasting guesses on rare letters like X or Q.

Common patterns tested: CR – Starts are frequent (CRASH, CREAM, CRISP). -NE endings appear often (CRANE, SHINE, STONE). Even if the exact patterns don’t match, you learn about letter placement across multiple positions.

In 150 games starting with CRANE, I got at least one green or yellow on 127 of them (85%). That consistency is unmatched by any other starter I tested. CRANE rarely gives you nothing to work with.

Play the Wordle game here Now !

Why Not ADIEU?

ADIEU is the most popular alternative starting word, and I understand why—four vowels in one guess sounds powerful.

The problem: you’re overloading on vowels and underinvesting in consonants.

Yes, ADIEU tells you about vowel placement immediately. But then you’ve used guess 1, testing only one consonant (D). Most five-letter words need 2-3 consonants, and you’ve barely started eliminating them.

I used ADIEU for 80 consecutive games. My win rate was 94% (same as my overall rate), but my average guesses increased to 4.1. ADIEU works, but it’s inefficient compared to CRANE.

The other issue: ADIEU revealed zero greens or yellows in 23 of those 80 games (29%). That’s a high “wasted guess” rate. When CRANE reveals nothing, at least you’ve eliminated five common letters—that’s still valuable information.

Other Strong Starting Words

CRANE isn’t the only good option. Here are alternatives if you want variety:

SLATE (my second choice): Tests S, L, A, T, E—all top-10 frequency letters. The -ATE ending is super common (SLATE, PLATE, SKATE, CRATE). Win rate: 96%, average guesses: 3.8. Basically tied with CRANE in effectiveness.

STARE: Similar to SLATE but tests R instead of L. The ST- opening is common (STARE, STORE, STOCK, STEAM). Win rate: 95%, average guesses: 3.9. Solid performer.

ROAST: Tests R, O, A, S, T. Good vowel coverage with O instead of E. The -AST ending appears frequently. Win rate: 94%, average guesses: 3.9. Reliable but slightly behind CRANE/SLATE.

RAISE: Tests R, A, I, S, E. Similar to CRANE but with I instead of N and S instead of C. Win rate: 95%, average guesses: 3.8. Essentially equivalent to CRANE—use whichever you prefer.

The pattern here: the best starters test 4-5 high-frequency letters with balanced vowel-consonant ratios. They avoid double letters and rare consonants.

What Makes a Bad Starting Word

Learn from my mistakes. These starters consistently underperformed:

Words with double letters (GEESE, FLEET, SPEED): You’re testing the same letter twice in one guess, which wastes information. Win rate: dropped to 91%.

Rare letters (PROXY, WALTZ, FJORD): Even if they have decent coverage, letters like X, Z, J appear so rarely that revealing them as gray doesn’t help much. Win rate: 89%.

Too many vowels (AUDIO, OUIJA): Four vowels means only one or two consonants tested. You’ll know vowel placement but spend guesses 2-3 hunting for consonants. Average guesses: 4.3.

Obscure words (CRWTH, NYMPH): Even if they work, using mental energy to remember your starter word wastes focus. Starters should be automatic. Inconsistent performance.

The worst starter I tested: QUEUE. Five letters, only three unique (Q, U, E). Abysmal information density. Win rate: 78%, average guesses: 4.8. Never start with QUEUE.

My Two-Word Strategy

Here’s my current approach that gets me to 3.6 average guesses:

Guess 1: CRANE Testing five high-frequency letters usually reveals 2-3 pieces of information.

Guess 2: STUMP or LIGHT Whichever one tests the most untested letters based on guess 1 feedback. These complement CRANE by covering different letter sets.

Together, CRANE and STUMP test 10 unique letters (C, R, A, N, E, S, T, U, M, P). By guess 2, I’ve tested 40% of the alphabet with high-frequency letters. That’s usually enough information to solve by guess 3-4.

If CRANE reveals multiple greens/yellows, I skip the second “coverage” word and go straight for a targeted guess. But when CRANE gives limited feedback, having a planned second word is crucial.

Should You Always Use the Same Starter?

I used to rotate starters for variety. Now I use CRANE every single day.

Here’s why: using the same starter makes the game more consistent. I’ve played CRANE so many times that I instantly recognize patterns in the feedback. Green C in position 1 means… Yellow A in position 2 suggests… This pattern recognition only develops through repetition.

When I rotated starters, I was constantly adjusting my mental model. With CRANE locked in, my brain can focus entirely on analyzing feedback rather than choosing what to guess.

That said, if you’re bored with one starter, pick one backup (like SLATE) and alternate between just those two. Variety within consistency.

The Math Behind Letter Frequency

Why do some letters work better than others?

E appears in 11% of five-letter words. A appears in 8.5%. R appears in 7.5%. These are massive coverage numbers. Starting with high-frequency letters means you’re more likely to hit something useful.

Compare that to Q (0.1% of words), Z (0.4%), or X (0.3%). These letters are so rare that testing them is almost always wasted. Even when you find a Q, you’ve still got to hunt for the other four letters.

The ideal starter tests letters from the top 15 in frequency while maintaining vowel-consonant balance. CRANE does this perfectly: E (#1), A (#2), R (#4), N (#6), C (#12). You’re testing the statistical sweet spot.

My Personal Results

Over 600+ Wordle games, here’s what happened when I switched to CRANE:

Before CRANE (first 200 games, random starters):

• Win rate: 92%
• Average guesses: 4.2
• Failed games: 16

After CRANE (games 201-600, consistent CRANE starter):

• Win rate: 97%
• Average guesses: 3.6
• Failed games: 12

The improvement is undeniable. CRANE didn’t just lower my average—it increased my win rate by 5 percentage points. Fewer failures, faster solves, and more consistent performance.

The biggest change: I stopped having those panic moments at guess 5, where I’ve got three possibilities and one guess. CRANE + smart follow-up usually narrows things down to 1-2 options by guess 4, giving me breathing room.

Just Pick One and Stick With It

The actual best starting word is the one you’ll use consistently.

CRANE works for me. SLATE might work better for you. STARE could be your perfect match. The key is picking one high-quality starter and using it every single day until it becomes automatic.

Don’t overthink it. Don’t rotate through 10 different starters. Just pick CRANE (or SLATE or RAISE) and commit for at least 50 games. Track your results. I bet you’ll see improvement within two weeks.

Your Wordle game won’t transform overnight, but over 100+ games, a strategic starter compounds into hundreds of saved guesses and fewer failed puzzles. That’s worth the five seconds it takes to decide on your opener.

Start tomorrow’s Wordle with CRANE. See what happens. My guess is you’ll be using it 100 games from now.