A new study from Binghamton University suggests that the smartest way to start Wordle is not simply to pack in vowels, but to choose a word that reveals the most information. Using a strategy based on Shannon entropy, researchers found that certain opening guesses can sharply reduce the number of possible answers after each round.
Wordle players usually begin with instinctive choices, often favoring common letters such as A, E and R. The Binghamton team took a more analytical route, testing every possible guess against the game's feedback system of gray, yellow and green tiles. Their program measured how much each word would narrow the solution pool, rather than how likely it was to be the final answer.
Information Over Intuition
In simulations, the entropy-based method solved more than 99 percent of puzzles, outperforming a simpler letter-frequency approach, which came in at about 90 percent. Among the strongest openers, "tares" ranked highest, while "audio" scored lower despite its vowel-heavy structure.
The key insight is straightforward: a strong first guess does not need to be correct immediately. It only needs to split the remaining options as efficiently as possible. That makes each later move more precise and improves the odds of reaching the answer in fewer tries.
Researchers also noted that many five-letter words share common letters, but position matters just as much as frequency. Words with similar letter sets can waste turns if they do not produce useful feedback. By contrast, the entropy method adapts after every guess and prioritizes the next word with the greatest expected information gain.
Published in the Northeast Journal of Complex Systems, the study turns a popular game into a clear example of how mathematics can sharpen decision-making. It also shows how information theory continues to influence digital life in practical, surprising ways. In the future, this kind of logic could inspire smarter puzzle tools and broader problem-solving systems.
