After mathematician Alex Selby developed an algorithm that identified “SLATE” as one of the best starting words for Wordle, many players began using it or its variations, such as “SALET” and “TALES.”
However, in Wordle, having a great starting word alone doesn’t guarantee solving the day’s puzzle unless you find the solution on your first attempt.
Therefore, it’s essential to have a list of second words that can help you narrow down your options and increase your chances of winning within three steps.
This leads us to the question: what’s the best second word for Wordle after “SLATE”?
Without delving into extensive data analysis on the best words, we’ll share what has worked for us and other Wordle players when starting with “SLATE.” These words have proven effective for us, and we hope they will work for you too.
Best Words to Find/Eliminate Remaining Vowels
Since “SLATE” already contains two vowels (A and E), if you want to find the remaining vowels in your next guess to be sure of the vowels in the day’s word, try these words:
Best for O, I, U
ODIUM
OURIE
OUIJA
Best for O & U
FOUND
COULD
CLOUD
ROUND
MOUND
POUND
MOULT
PROUD
PLUTO
TRUMP
Best for I
Unfortunately, most of the above words don’t have an I. If you feel that your next guess must include an I, then try the following words:
HUMID
CHOIR
LITHE
CLINE
RHINO
GRIND
DOING
UNITE
YOGIS
VIRGO
QUILT
MINUS
ICONS
Best for Finding Y
The letter Y is the second most common final letter in Wordle solutions (after E), so it is a good strategy to establish if it is part of the day’s Wordle word early on in the game. If you want to test a word that contains the letter Y after starting with “SLATE,” here are the best combinations:
DAIRY
CRONY
IRONY
BRINY
PHONY
GRIMY
YOUTH
PINKY
Because we don’t want to bore you with a long list of words that might make your choice harder or confusing, we’ll end here. The words above include the vowels missing from “SLATE” as well as a few common consonants like P, T, L, M, and N, making them pretty decent for a second guess.
So, if you want the best words to input after playing “SLATE,” choose any word from the list. At the very least, these words will give you a leg up in your next game if you use them after “SLATE.”