You wake up. You grab your phone. The screen glows a bit too brightly in the dark room, and there it is: that familiar 5x6 grid. We’ve all been there. It’s the daily ritual that either makes you feel like a literal genius or leaves you staring at a screen in pure, unadulterated frustration. But here’s the thing that most casual players miss—the game is basically won or lost before you even type your second guess. It all comes down to a single, nagging question: what letter does wordle start with in your opening strategy?
Honestly, it matters more than you think.
If you’re just throwing "ADIEU" or "AUDIO" at the wall because you want to "get the vowels out of the way," you’re playing a dangerous game. Sure, it feels productive. You see those yellow squares pop up and you think, Oh, cool, I know there’s an E. But vowels are the easy part. They’re the glue, not the bones. To actually dominate the game, you have to think about the consonants that provide the structural integrity of the English language.
The Brutal Math of the First Letter
Let's get into the weeds for a second. Josh Wardle, the guy who actually built the game before selling it to The New York Times, didn't just pick words out of a hat. The original list contained 2,315 "solution words." These are common five-letter words. They aren't the obscure stuff you find in the back of a Scrabble dictionary.
When you ask what letter does Wordle start with most frequently in terms of the actual answer list, the data is pretty clear. S is the king. It’s not even close. About 15% of all Wordle solutions start with the letter S. If you start your game with a word beginning with S, you are statistically more likely to see that satisfying green square on your very first tap.
But wait.
Starting with S isn't always the smartest move just because it's common. Why? Because you aren't just trying to find the first letter; you're trying to eliminate as many possibilities as possible. This is where information theory comes in. If you use a letter that appears in 400 words, and it turns grey, you just eliminated 400 words. If you use a rare letter like X and it turns grey, you've barely narrowed the field at all.
Why "CRANE" and "SLATE" Rule the World
There’s a reason the New York Times’ own "WordleBot" is obsessed with the word CRANE. Later, it pivoted to SLATE. These aren't just random choices. They are calculated to maximize the "information gain."
Think about the word "SLATE."
- S is the most common starting letter.
- L is a top-tier consonant.
- A and E are high-frequency vowels.
- T is one of the most common letters in the middle or end of a word.
When you use a word like this, you’re hitting the highest-probability targets immediately. You aren't just guessing; you're performing a linguistic audit of the puzzle.
The Vowel Trap: A Common Mistake
Most people are obsessed with vowels. They think if they find the A, E, I, O, or U, they’ve cracked the code.
They're wrong.
Think about how many five-letter words have an "A" in the second or third position. Thousands. Knowing there is an "A" doesn't actually help you distinguish between "STARE," "PLANT," "REACH," or "ADAPT" very effectively. However, knowing that a word starts with a C or a P is a massive filter. Consonants provide the "shape" of the word.
If you're wondering what letter does wordle start with most often in the losing streaks of frustrated players, it’s usually a vowel-heavy opener that leaves them with four "possible" words on guess six. We’ve all been there. You have _ I _ E R and you have to guess if it's LIKER, HIGHER, PIPER, or RIVER. That’s a death trap. If you had used your first two guesses to eliminate major consonants like R, L, P, and H, you wouldn't be in that mess.
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The Power of "S" (And the Danger of Plurals)
Here is a weird quirk of Wordle: even though S is the most common starting letter, the solution is almost never a simple plural ending in S. You won't find "DOGS" or "CHIPS" as the answer. The game uses singular nouns or verb forms that don't end in a "lazy" S.
So, while starting with an S-word is great for positioning, don't waste your time thinking the final answer will be a basic plural. This is a subtle nuance that separates the casual players from the people who keep 300-day streaks alive.
Strategy Shift: Breaking the "Starting Letter" Habit
Sometimes, the best answer to what letter does wordle start with for your specific strategy isn't a "good" letter at all.
Hear me out.
There’s a strategy called "Hard Mode" where you must use the hints you've gathered. But if you play in regular mode, you can use "burner words." A burner word is a second guess that contains zero letters from your first guess.
If your first word was SOARE (a popular, high-info starter), and you got a couple of yellows, you might choose to ignore them for guess two. You might type CLINT. By doing this, you've checked S, O, A, R, E, C, L, I, N, and T by your second turn. That is nearly half the alphabet.
By the time you get to your third guess, you aren't guessing. You're just filling in the blanks.
The Most Common Starting Letters (By the Numbers)
If we look at the frequency of the first letter in the 2,300+ solution words, the ranking looks something like this:
- S (Over 350 words)
- C (Around 200 words)
- B (Roughly 170 words)
- T (About 150 words)
- P (Close to 140 words)
Letters like X, Q, and Z are almost never the starting letter. If you start with "XYLYL" or "QUART," you're either a linguistic masochist or you’re just trying to flex. Neither is a good way to win the daily puzzle.
Beyond the First Letter: The "Position" Factor
It’s not just about the start. It’s about where the letter likes to live.
Take the letter Y. It rarely starts a word (only about 0.8% of the time). But it is an absolute monster at the end of a word. If you use a word like STARY or LUCKY, you’re checking that Y in its natural habitat.
Same goes for K. It’s a great "ender."
E is the most common letter overall, but it’s actually more common at the end of the word or in the fourth position than at the very beginning.
When you sit down to play, stop thinking about "words you like" and start thinking about "letter real estate." The first position is the most valuable property on the board. Don't waste it on a letter that doesn't work for you.
What about the "Hardest" Letters?
If the word of the day starts with a J, V, or W, the collective failure rate of the internet skyrockets. People just don't guess them. We are biased toward the "middle" of the frequency chart. We love our R's, T's, and L's.
When you get to guess three and you’re stuck, ask yourself: "Am I avoiding the weird letters?" Sometimes what letter does wordle start with is exactly the one you’re ignoring because it feels "too hard" to be the answer. (I'm looking at you, "JAZZY" and "KNOLL").
Actionable Tips for Your Next Game
Stop guessing random words. If you want to actually improve your average (getting it down from a 4.2 to a 3.5 is a big deal!), you need a system.
- Pick a "Forever" Starter: Whether it’s STARE, CRANE, or ADIEU, use the same word every single day. Why? Because you will become intimately familiar with how that word interacts with the English language. You’ll start to see patterns in what’s left over.
- Watch the "Consonant Clusters": English loves putting letters together. If you find a C, there’s a high chance an H or an L is nearby. If you find a P, look for an R or an L.
- Don't Forget the Doubles: Words like "MAMMA," "ABBEY," or "SISSY" are the ultimate streak-killers. If you have the right letters but they don't fit, start doubling up.
- The "Elimination" mindset: Every grey letter is a victory. It’s one less thing to worry about. Don't get discouraged by a "blank" first guess; you just ruled out five of the most common letters in the world. That’s massive.
The question of what letter does wordle start with isn't just a trivia point. It's the foundation of your strategy. By favoring S, C, B, or T as your opening move, you're playing the odds. And in a game with over 2,000 possibilities, you need every advantage you can get.
Go ahead. Open the app. Type in a high-probability starter. See what happens. Worst case scenario? You learn something new about a five-letter word you haven't thought about since grade school. Best case? You get that elusive "Wordle in 2" and get to brag to your friends in the group chat for the rest of the afternoon.
Final Strategy Check
Before you commit to your first word today, look at your keyboard. Mentally cross out the bottom row. If your starting word relies too heavily on X, C, V, B, N, M (with the exception of C and B), you might be making it harder on yourself. Aim for the "Home Row" and the top row for your first guess. It’s where the high-frequency action is.
Success in Wordle isn't about having a huge vocabulary. It’s about being a better detective. Start with the right clues, and the mystery solves itself.