The choice of your initial word in every Wordle game you play is crucial for finding the solution in just a few steps. Your starting word can determine whether you’ll achieve a win in 2/6, 3/6, 4/6, or face the risk of losing the game altogether.
If you’ve ever sought out strategies for winning at Wordle, you’ve probably encountered numerous recommendations for the best words to kick off with.
However, having a strong starting word alone won’t guarantee solving the day’s Wordle unless you manage to find the solution on your first attempt.
Consequently, you’ll still need other viable words for your follow-up guesses.
There are occasions when even an excellent starting word may not suffice, leaving you contemplating the perfect selection for your second guess.
This highlights the importance of not just a good starting word but also a complementary second word to secure victory in a Wordle game.
With an optimal two-word combination, you’ll find yourself in a more advantageous position, especially considering that you’ll now have assessed the potential of 10 letters instead of just 5.
To aid your quest for a quick Wordle triumph, we’ve created this page to assist you in discovering the perfect duo of words to outwit the game.
While there isn’t a flawless word combination that guarantees success 100% of the time, our curated list comprises words that have proven effective for us and fellow Wordle enthusiasts since the game’s inception.
List of the Absolute Best Wordle Starting and Second Word Combinations
| Word Combination | Why You Should Choose Them |
| COALS & NITER | Statistically, this is the best-performing word pair. Here are other variations that use the same letters: CITER & LOANS, CITER & SOLAN, CONTE & RIALS; COIRS & LATEN, CAIRN & TOLES, CARNS & TOILE, CANOE & TIRLS, CANR & TOILS, CEILS & TORAH NOTE: You’ll be using the same strategy if you choose any of them |
| DARNS & LETCH | Best for identifying both vowels and consonants available. Here are other variations that use the same letters: LETCH & NERDS, LETCH & NARDS, DELTS & RANCH If you have a soft spot for LETCH, here are more combinations you can work with: DARNS & LETCH, LETCH & YARNS, LETCH & SYREN, GNARS & LETCH. |
| STARE & COULD | Loved by many Wordlers. Instead of COULD, you can use: CLOUD, DOING or PHONY Each of the second words contains frequent letters that are unique to the first word (STARE). |
| ARISE & YOUTH | Best for finding all the vowels within the first two guesses. This combination is also great because it has R, S, T & H, which are commonly used consonants in many words. |
| OURIE & BADLY | Allows you to play all the vowels and consonants B, D, L, R &Y in two steps. |
| AISLE & ROUND | Allows you play all the vowels and some of the most common consonants, S, L, N, R, & D in two steps. |
| Others (in Alphabetical order) | CENTS & RALPH CAIRN & TOLES CELTS & NERDY CENTS & REDLY COIRS & LATEN CONES & TRAIL CRANE & SPLIT GNARL & TECHS HATES & CLIMB/ROUND HENTS & LYCRA HONES & TRAIL HOSEL & TRAIN LITHE & SONAR LYCRA & THENS NERDY & TALCS ROAST & CLINE ROATE & FUNDS ROATE and SLING SALET & CRONY OR TALES & CRONY SERAI & POUTY SOAR & CLINT SOUND & CRAMP SOUTH & MADLY STORE/BLIMP or FINCH TORUS & BATCH |
Have you played today’s Wordle? Check for Clues and Answer Here: Today’s Wordle Answer
How to Use this Word Combination List
Which two-word combinations should you kick off your day’s Wordle session with?
As for which combination to pick, well, that’s entirely up to you.
Personally, I find sticking to the same combination every now and then a bit dull.
Whichever combination you opt for, let the following statistics and hints be your compass:
Past Wordle Solutions
Review the recent Wordle solutions from the past few days. This can help you identify the most effective word combinations to employ.
For example, if you were playing on June 10th 2024 and initially chose “STARE & COULD” combination but then noticed that the previous day’s answer (June 9th) was “CROWD,” you might consider substituting “COULD” with “DOING” or “PHONY” (as indicated in the table above). This adjustment is based on the likelihood that the answer for June 10th, 2024 is unlikely to contain the letters C, O, and D.
Wordle Letters Statistics
Keep in mind a few statistics regarding winning letters in Wordle:
- The most common first letter in Wordle solutions is S
- The most common second and third letter in Wordle solutions is A
- The most common third and third fourth in Wordle solutions is E
- The least common vowel in Wordle solutions is U
- The second most used consonants after S in Wordle solutions are R &T
- The most frequent fifth letter Wordle solution is Y
- When it comes to consonants S, T, & R are more common in Wordle solutions than C & N.
Consider Playing Your Vowels Early
One of the most common strategies among Wordle enthusiasts is to identify the vowels of the day within the first two guesses. It’s an effective approach because it provides significant clues about the structure of the day’s answer.
To fully capitalize on this strategy, prioritize word combinations with at least four vowels. Once you’ve determined your vowels, your next step should be to seek out words with a higher number of consonants to assist in filling the gaps and securing a win.
WordleBot Answers
Review the past few days’ or weeks’ Wordlebot answers. This can also help you in selecting a combination that is likely to be successful. Wordlebot is the brainchild of the current Wordle operators, so you can never go wrong with its list of best start words.
Add 3 Word Combinations to Your Arsenal
If you find that our list of two-word combinations isn’t sufficient, you could experiment with three-word combinations.
This strategy’s effectiveness is still a subject of debate, and is only recommended for people who are not concerned about achieving 1/6, 2/6, or 3/6 wins but are determined to secure at least a win regardless of the approach.
Here’s how it works: You deploy the three words in the first, second, and third guesses. With 15 words played (some of which may already be green or yellow), you’ll have significantly narrowed down the list of possible letters, making it much easier to deduce the solution in your fourth attempt.
Like any other Wordle strategy, there’s no guarantee of success, and it may not work for every day’s puzzle.
If you’re interested in giving it a try, here are some go-to combinations:
- RATIO, MENDS, & LUCKY
- SCALY, GUIDE, THORN
- INLET, SHARP, & DUCKY
- SCALP, TIGER, & MOUND
- SPINE, LOATH, & MURKY
Final Words
Hopefully, our two-word combination strategy will propel you closer to winning your Wordle games within a few steps.
However, it’s important to note that there is no single perfect strategy for Wordle; if there were, it would essentially break the game.
There are numerous strategies, along with a plethora of caveats. If you approach Wordle as a game to help exercise your mental faculties on a daily basis, then a few strategies like the ones we’ve shared here should suffice.
However, if your aim is to dominate the game or secure a win at any cost, then investing your time into more advanced strategies is necessary.
Regardless of your approach, we hope that the strategies we’ve shared will enrich your understanding of what works best for winning in Wordle and contribute to extending your daily streaks.