Average Wordle Scores

Average Wordle scores vary across different cities, states and countries and can be greatly affected by players playing the game in a non-native language. Furthermore, even though the solution to each level is just 5-letters in length, certain levels are known to be trickier to solve than others. Experienced players are more likely to use starter words that are proven to provide better levels of success.

Odds of solving a Wordle level by turn

According to a study of over 6 million Wordle games:

The odds of solving a Wordle level in one try is 0.02% on average and is completely down to chance.
The odds of solving a Wordle level in two tries is 5.67% on average.
The odds of solving a Wordle level in three tries is 22.66% on average.
The odds of solving a Wordle level in four tries is 33.10% on average.
The odds of solving a Wordle level in five tries is 23.91% on average.
The odds of solving a Wordle level in six tries is 11.72%.
People fail Wordle levels 2.92% of the time on average.

Attempt	Success rate
First	0.02%
Second	5.67%
Third	22.66%
Fourth	33.10%
Fifth	23.91%
Sixth	11.72%
Failure	2.92%

A graph is given below to show the average number of attempts to solve a Wordle level:

What is the best start word for Wordle?

In Wordle, the choice of starter word is an extremely important decision for the player. Failure to capture a placed or unplaced letter on a first turn can have a huge impact on the eventual turns required to solve a level.

According to an analysis by fans of the game, STARE is widely considered to be the best starting word for Wordle.
This is based on:
- S being the most common first letter within Wordle’s answers.
- A being the most common third letter within Wordle’s answers.
- E being the most common fifth letter within Wordle’s answers.
- T and R being the most common consonants within Wordle’s answers.
However, a study by two researchers from MIT found SALET to be the best starting word for Wordle.
SALET contains 5 out of the top 10 letters used within Wordle’s answers, making it a great alternative.
The New York Times’ official Wordle automated assistant, Wordlebot, recommends the first words SLATE (for normal mode players) and DEALT (for hard mode players).
In addition to these solutions, other preferred starting words have also been suggested by alternate sources.

If you are looking to get better at Wordle, try our word solver to help you pass the trickiest levels and improve your score! You can even find longer words than those used in Wordle, such as those containing 6 letters for different word games.

Success rate for first guesses in Wordle per letter

During a game of Wordle, certain letters are statistically easier for players to guess than others. This is caused by specific letters appearing more frequently at certain points in solution words than others, alongside how players are likely to guess on their first attempt.

Players are most likely to choose a correct letter (placed) on the 5th letter.
Players are most likely to choose a correct letter (unplaced) on the 3rd letter.
Players are most likely to choose an incorrect letter on the 1st letter.
Players are least likely to choose a correct letter (placed) on the 4th letter.
Players are least likely to choose a correct letter (unplaced) on the 1st letter.
Players are least likely to choose an incorrect letter on the 5th letter.

Letter location	Correct letter, placed (Green)	Correct letter, unplaced (Yellow)	Incorrect letter (Gray)
1st	8.32%	23.69%	67.99%
2nd	9.28%	28.73%	61.99%
3rd	10.62%	30.59%	58.79%
4th*	7.95%	27.75%	64.31%
5th	11.75%	29.72%	58.53%

(*Total exceeds 100% due to rounding errors)

A graph is given below to show the success rate for first guesses in Wordle per letter:

What is the hardest word to guess in Wordle?

Although the hardest word to guess in Wordle will vary from person-to-person, there are some characteristics that stand out in the words that players most commonly failed to answer.

As of a research study performed on 2022 Wordle answers, PARER was the most difficult word to guess for players.
PARER had a failure rate of 48%, almost doubling the failure rate of the second-most difficult word.
The second-most difficult word to guess for players was FOYER (26% failure rate).
The third-most difficult word to guess for players was CATCH (23% failure rate).
30% of the hardest words ended in -ER and 30% began with the letter C.
20% of the hardest words ended in -CH and 20% began with the letter T.

#	Word	Failure rate
1	Parer	48%
2	Foyer	26%
3	Catch	23%
4	Watch	20%
5	Mummy	18%
6	Cater	15%
7	Coyly	15%
8	Trite	15%
9	Found	14%
10	Tacit	10%

A graph is given below to compare the most difficult Wordle answers of 2022 by their failure rate.

Wordle guess distribution

As part of Wordle’s user interface, guess distribution, win percentage and streaks are provided to the player in order to view a detailed analysis of their games played.

Wordle’s guess distribution chart allows players to see a visual representation of the number of attempts they take to solve each level.
The guess distribution chart lists out the possible number of turns to pass the level (1 to 6) and then details how many times the player achieved these as a chart.
Games where the player did not pass the level (failing 6 attempts) are not detailed within the guess distribution and are instead reflected by the win percentage rate.