Updated: 25 May 2026 · Reading time: 6 minutes
Your opening word is the most important move you’ll make in Wordle®. A good starter eliminates dozens of dud letters in five seconds flat. A bad starter leaves you flying blind from guess two onwards.
What makes a great Wordle® starting word?
- Common letters. The top five letters in English are E, A, R, I, O. The next five are T, N, S, L, C. Your starter should hit as many of those top-10 as possible.
- Variety. Avoid double letters in your first word.
- Vowel coverage. Wordle® answers usually have two vowels.
A perfect starter reveals an average of 2.5 yellow/green letters out of 5 — enough info for a confident guess two.
The 6 best starting words for NZ players
1. CRANE
The word most often recommended by Wordle® mathematicians, including the NYT WordleBot team. Every letter is in the top 12 most-common in English. Strongest average solve count across the last 1,000 puzzles.
2. SLATE
Slightly more vowel-heavy than CRANE. The S at the start is useful because so many five-letter English words start with S.
3. TRACE
Balances common consonants (T, R, C) with the two most common vowels. A clean “I want to be conservative” pick.
4. ADIEU
Sacrifices consonant coverage to grab four out of five vowels. If you lock down vowels first and figure out consonants second, ADIEU is your word. NZ note: ADIEU has been a Wordle® answer.
5. STARE
Heavy on top-five letters (S, T, A, R, E). Slightly higher solve rate than CRANE in recent analysis.
6. RAISE
Three vowels plus two strong consonants (R, S). Well-formed common word. NZ English spells RAISE the same as US English.
Strategies for different play styles
“I just want to win”: CRANE or TRACE.
“I want consistency”: SLATE.
“Maximise vowels on guess 1”: ADIEU.
“Variety”: Rotate between three or four of these.
Starting words to AVOID
- AUDIO — five vowels but no common consonants. Sounds clever, statistically weak.
- OUIJA — too many rare letters (J).
- Words with double letters (LEVEL, MOMMY).
- PIZZA, JAZZY, FUZZY — rare letters.
- Any word with Q, X, Z, J in the opening guess.
NZ English vs US English
For starting words, no difference. All 6 words on this list spell identically in both dialects. Spelling differences only matter when guessing the answer (see our NZ vs US Wordle® spelling guide).
Stick or rotate?
Stick with CRANE every time: consistent, easy to learn what each green/yellow result tells you, builds intuition.
Rotate (CRANE / SLATE / ADIEU): variety, covers more letter combinations across a week.
For most players, sticking with CRANE is the easy answer.
FAQ
Q: Absolute best Wordle® starter? Pure maths points to CRANE — average 3.5 guesses across the official answer list.
Q: Do I need a second word planned? No. Your second word should respond to guess one’s feedback.
Q: Are these starters allowed? Yes — all on the Wordle® valid-guess list.
The takeaway
Pick one starter and commit to it for a month. CRANE is the safest bet. If you’re a vowel-first thinker, ADIEU. After 30 days you’ll have built intuition for what each green/yellow combination means.
When you’re stuck after your starter, our Wordle® Hint Solver takes your green, yellow, and grey letters and shows the remaining possibilities.
Wordle® is a registered trademark of The New York Times Company. This site is an independent fan companion not affiliated with The New York Times Company.