How to Play Word Guess: Rules, Tips & Starting Words
Word Guess gives you six tries to find a hidden five-letter word. Every guess must be a real word, and after each one the tiles tell you exactly how close you are. This short guide covers the rules, then the strategy that separates lucky guessers from consistent solvers. Ready to try? Play Word Guess here.
The rules in 30 seconds
- Type any valid five-letter word and press Enter.
- Green tile — right letter, right spot. Locked in.
- Yellow tile — the letter is in the word, wrong spot.
- Gray tile — the letter is not in the word at all.
- Solve it within six guesses to win and grow your streak.
Choosing a strong opener
Your first word should interrogate the alphabet, not express your personality. The highest-value opening words combine the most frequent letters of English — E, A, R, O, T, L, I, S, N — in likely positions. Dependable choices:
- SLATE — five top-ten letters, S up front where it loves to be.
- CRANE — tests R and N in their most common slots.
- RAISE — three vowels plus R and S, all high frequency.
- ADIEU — four vowels in one shot; great for vowel-hunting.
The mid-game: think in positions, not letters
After two guesses you usually know 3–5 confirmed letters. The trap is guessing the first word that fits. Instead, look at what each candidate would prove. If your options are STONE, SHONE and SCONE, guessing STONE tells you nothing about H or C — a word like CHEST tests both at once. Spending one guess to split candidates beats losing three guesses to a word family.
Watch the keyboard, trust the process
The on-screen keyboard is your memory: it records every ruled-in and ruled-out letter. Before each guess, scan it — most wrong guesses reuse a gray letter by habit. And remember letters can repeat: words like LEVEL and BERRY sink players who assume five unique letters.
Daily vs Unlimited: use both
The Daily puzzle is your scoreboard — same word for everyone, streak on the line. Unlimited mode is your gym: drill openers, practice endgames, and test the 4-letter,6-letter and7-letter variants to stretch different muscles.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best starting word?
Statistically strong openers cover frequent letters in common positions: SLATE, CRANE, RAISE, and ADIEU are all popular. SLATE and CRANE test top consonants; ADIEU clears four vowels at once.
Should I reuse gray letters?
Almost never. A gray letter is confirmed absent, so any guess containing it wastes information. The one exception: late in the game, a throwaway word with known letters can split several remaining candidates.
What is hard mode thinking?
Playing as if every guess must reuse all confirmed clues. It builds discipline: you narrow the answer pool with every guess instead of fishing. Try it once your win rate passes 90%.