You've been there. It’s 11:45 PM. You’re staring at a grid of yellow and grey tiles, convinced that the English language has finally run out of five-letter combinations. You type in "SHIRE." Grey. "GHOST." Nothing. You start wondering if Josh Wardle—or the New York Times editors who bought the game for seven figures—are just messing with you. They aren't. But the game has a memory, and if you don't have one too, you're playing at a massive disadvantage.
Using an alphabetical list of past Wordle words isn't just for people who want to look back at the glory days of "REBUS" or "KNOLL." It’s a tactical necessity. The New York Times rarely, if ever, repeats a word. If you’re guessing "STARE" for the hundredth time as your final word, you’re basically throwing your streak into a digital woodchipper because that word already had its moment in the sun years ago.
The weird logic behind the Wordle dictionary
The game started with a curated list of about 2,300 words. Josh Wardle’s partner, Palak Shah, helped narrow down the massive pool of five-letter English words—there are over 12,000 of them—to the ones people actually recognize. This is why you’ll never see "XYLYL" as the answer, even though it’s technically a word.
When the New York Times took over in early 2022, things got a bit more... editorial. They removed some words that were deemed offensive or too obscure. They also started shifting the order. But the core rule remains: once a word is used, it’s effectively dead. Checking an alphabetical list of past Wordle words tells you exactly what has been retired. It’s a process of elimination on a grand scale.
Honestly, it’s kinda fascinating how some letters just dominate the archive. You see a lot of "E" and "A," obviously. But looking through the "A" section of the history, you’ll find "ABACK," "ABASE," "ABATE," and "ABBEY." If you’re guessing "ADULT" today, you should probably know it’s already been the answer (way back in June 2021).
Why you need an alphabetical list of past Wordle words right now
Most people look for Wordle archives chronologically. That's fine if you want to know what happened on your birthday in 2023. But for the actual player? Chronological is useless. You need to know if "TRACE" is still on the table. You need to know if "PLATE" is a viable guess or a wasted turn.
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When you look at an alphabetical list of past Wordle words, the patterns scream at you. You notice the heavy hitters. Words ending in "Y" are everywhere. Words with double letters—like "SKILL" or "TRUSS"—show up way more often than people realize. People hate double letters. They feel like a trap. But the data shows the NYT loves them.
The A-Z of what's already gone
Let's look at some of the heavy hitters that have already cleared the board. In the "C" category, we've seen "CANNY," "CATER," and "CHART." If you’re stuck on _ _ A R T and you're debating between "CHART" and "QUART," knowing that "CHART" is a past winner makes "QUART" the mathematically superior choice.
The "S" section is a graveyard of common guesses. "SAUCY," "SHALE," "SHEER," "SHIRT," "SLEEP." It goes on and on. Because "S" is such a common starting letter, many of the most "obvious" words have been burned already. This is why the game feels harder now than it did in 2022. The "easy" words are mostly used up. We're getting into the weeds now. We're getting "SNAFU" and "GUANO."
How the New York Times changed the game
There was a minor riot when the NYT changed "FETUS" to something else because it was too close to a major news event. That was the moment we realized the list wasn't set in stone. The editors, like Tracy Bennett, actually curate this thing. They want it to be fun, but they also want to keep you on your toes.
By referencing an alphabetical list of past Wordle words, you can see the "vibe" of the current era. Recent years have leaned into words that have tricky placements—think of "JAZZY" or "COYLY." These aren't words you'd naturally guess, but they are words that have been used.
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Mastering the "Grey Out" strategy
Smart players use the archive to build a "never-guess" list. This sounds counterintuitive. Why wouldn't you guess a word you know? Because if the goal is to solve the puzzle in three tries, you can't afford to guess "CRANE" if "CRANE" was the answer two years ago.
- Check the archive before your third guess. If you have two or three options left, look them up.
- Eliminate the ghosts. If "POINT" is in the alphabetical list of past Wordle words, kill it. Focus on "JOINT" or "MOUNT."
- Watch for the "ER" trap. Words like "GREET" or "TREES" or "PAPER" are common. Many have been used. Check the "P" and "G" sections specifically.
It’s not cheating. It’s research. Professional Scrabble players memorize lists. Chess players study openings. Why should Wordle be any different? You’re playing against a limited dictionary.
The psychological toll of the "Almost"
We’ve all had that morning where we have _ O L L Y and we go through "DOLLY," "HOLLY," "JOLLY," "MOLLY," and "POLLY." You get to your sixth guess and you’re sweating. This is where the alphabetical list of past Wordle words saves your streak. If you can see that "HOLLY" and "MOLLY" are already gone, your odds of survival just jumped from 20% to 33%.
The game is as much about what the word isn't as what it is.
Does the list ever reset?
This is the big question. Will the NYT ever recycle words? So far, the answer is no. With 2,300+ words in the original bucket, the game has enough content to last about six and a half years without a single repeat. We’re deep into that timeline now, but we haven't hit the end yet.
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Some people think they’ll just start over. Others think they’ll expand to more obscure vocabulary. Personally? I think they’ll keep digging into the less common words that people still know. Think "APRON" or "IGLOO." Simple, but not your first thought.
Common misconceptions about the Wordle history
Some people think the game follows a theme. It doesn't. Just because yesterday was "RAINY" doesn't mean today will be "SUNNY." The list is randomized, albeit with some human oversight to prevent back-to-back words that are too similar or offensive.
Another myth: "They used all the hard words already."
Actually, many of the hardest words—those with "Z," "X," or "Q"—are still lurking in the shadows. The alphabetical list of past Wordle words shows a surprisingly low density of "Q" words. "QUERY" and "QUELL" have popped up, but there are plenty more waiting to ruin your morning.
Practical steps for your next game
Don't just bookmark a list and stare at it. Use it as a filter. When you're down to your final two guesses and you're torn between two common words, that's your cue.
- Step 1: Open a reliable archive of past winners.
- Step 2: Search for your potential guess alphabetically.
- Step 3: If it’s there, discard it immediately.
- Step 4: Look at the letters surrounding it. If "LIGHT" is gone but "NIGHT" isn't, you have your answer.
By treating the game like a data problem rather than a guessing game, you take the "luck" out of it. You’ll find that your average score moves from a 4.5 to a 3.8. It sounds small, but over a year of playing, that's the difference between a 50-day streak and a 500-day streak.
Keep an eye on the "W" and "Z" sections. They are smaller, easier to memorize, and often contain the words that catch people off guard. "WALTZ" and "WHISK" are classic examples of words that people forget have already had their turn. Once you know the history, you own the future of your grid.