RATES uses five of the most powerful letters in Wordle. While it shares the exact same letters as STARE and TEARS, it places them in a unique configuration that dramatically slices through the dictionary.
Uses A and E, the absolute most frequent and important vowels to test on turn one.
Secures R, T, and S. There is no better three-consonant combination in the English language.
Suffers from the plural S ending, which is never the final answer, meaning you cannot win on guess one.
Our analysis leverages Information Theory and candidate reduction to show precisely how RATES performs.
We test RATES against the entire 2,316-word Wordle dictionary to observe its elimination rates across every possible scenario.
We quantify the power of testing R, A, T, E, and S simultaneously.
We measure how effectively RATES places these letters, keeping in mind the exclusion of plural S words from the answer list.
RATES secures a massive 4.16 bits of information gain, dividing the dictionary exceptionally well.
On average, you are left with just 66 possible answers after playing RATES.
Combining these metrics gives RATES a final score of 95/100.
RATES is constructed from five of the most structurally important letters in the English language (R, A, T, E, S). It belongs to the famous anagram family that includes STARE, TARES, and TEARS.
The core philosophy of RATES is information gathering. By testing the two most common vowels and the three most common consonants, you are virtually guaranteed to extract valuable information on every single board. An all-gray RATES is exceedingly rare. Mathematically, it consistently leaves you with a tiny, manageable list of remaining words (roughly 66 on average).
Wordle explicitly curates its answer list to exclude simple four-letter plurals ending in S (e.g., RATES, TEARS, CATS, DOGS). Therefore, while RATES is an incredible information-gathering tool, it can never be the final answer. You are willingly sacrificing a 1 in 2,316 chance of getting a hole-in-one to secure a vastly superior average solve rate.
Let’s examine how each of RATES’s letters contributes to its overall effectiveness.
Frequency: Very High
Positional Strength: Strong
R is an excellent starting letter, often leading into a vowel (REACH, RADIO) or a consonant blend (RHINO).
Frequency: High
Positional Strength: Very Strong
A in position 2 is incredibly common (e.g., BACON, WATCH, PAPER), making it an optimal spot for testing.
Frequency: Very High
Positional Strength: Strong
T in the middle often bridges syllables or forms endings (e.g., WATER, WATCH, LATCH).
Frequency: Highest
Positional Strength: Very Strong
E in the 4th position is a staple of the Wordle dictionary, appearing in suffixes like -ED, -EL, -EN, and -ER.
Frequency: Highest
Positional Strength: Average
Because plural S endings are removed, an S here will only be green if the word is a non-plural S (e.g., BONUS, GLASS). A yellow S means it almost certainly belongs at the beginning.
RATES balances the board flawlessly with A and E. Because A and E are so dominant in the English language, testing them first allows you to quickly pivot to O, U, and I on your second guess if they miss, or lock in the structure if they hit.
By testing R, T, and S, you are querying the most common consonants. If they are gray, you know immediately that you must rely on N, L, C, and P. If they are yellow, they dictate exactly how the word must be formed.
Looking at RATES through the lens of Information Theory:
How does RATES stack up against the best words in Wordle?
Winner: STARE
They share the same letters, but STARE is mathematically superior. STARE tests S in the optimal position (first), yielding higher entropy (4.23 vs 4.16). Most importantly, STARE is on the answer list, allowing for hole-in-ones.
Winner: SLATE
SLATE dominates here. It is an answer list word, has a higher entropy (4.29), and tests S in position 1. While testing R is good, testing L and S properly makes SLATE the gold standard.
Winner: Tie
They are nearly identical anagrams. Neither is on the answer list. TEARS has slightly higher entropy (4.18 vs 4.16) due to T being slightly better in position 1 than R, but functionally they play exactly the same.
RATES performs well in Hard Mode (Rating: 75/100). Because S is at the end, it avoids some of the nastier trap words that ending in E create. The primary danger comes if you get A, T, E green, but the S saves you from the classic _ A T E S trap since those aren’t answers.
How to handle feedback from RATES:
Meaning: The word starts with R and contains an S (likely not at the end). Best next move: ROAST (if A/T/E were yellow) or ROSIN. Common mistakes: Trying S at the end again.
Meaning: The S belongs somewhere else, heavily favored to be position 1. Best next move: SCOLD, SNUB, or SPONG. Common mistakes: Testing S in the middle positions.
Meaning: R, A, T, E, and S are absent. Best next move: POUND, COLIN, or MOUND. Common mistakes: Re-guessing A or E.
Here is RATES reduced to one honest number: 73.4. That is the average count of answers still possible after its first feedback, measured across the full answer pool, and it puts the word at #16 of the 50 openers we track. The extremes matter as well: its worst single outcome is the all-gray row, which leaves 227 answers alive, and the best boards end with a single answer still standing.
Worth knowing before you commit to RATES daily: in 227 possible games, about 10% of the pool, it scores a completely gray row. That is not a flaw, it is the price of its letter choices, and the counter is ready-made. Probes like LINGO, LOGIN, LOGIC test exactly the common letters RATES skips, so a bad first row becomes a strong second row instead of a stalled board.
Context from its nearest rivals: LARES sits one rung higher at 71.9 expected candidates; TRACE trails just behind at 74.1 expected candidates. Gaps this small are not destiny. A difference of a fraction of a candidate per game only shows up across hundreds of plays, while the word you actually remember to use well shows up every single morning. RATES also brings 2 vowels to the board, and how a word's feedback feels to play matters more than the third decimal of any simulation.
One more distribution worth knowing. The single most common outcome of opening with RATES is a completely gray row, which shows up in about 10% of all games. And in 31% of games, RATES places at least one letter exactly right on the first row. Neither number decides whether the word suits you, but together they describe the texture of a typical RATES morning: usually informed, rarely blank.
Simulated against the full Wordle answer pool of 2,316 words. Expected candidates means the average number of answers still possible after the first guess's feedback.
Yes, it is mathematically superb. It checks five of the most common letters in English (R, A, T, E, S).
No! RATES is a plural noun (or present tense verb), and plurals ending in S are excluded from the Wordle answer list.
No. STARE uses the same letters but tests S in the first position (which is optimal) and is a valid solution.
They are incredibly similar anagrams. TEARS is technically slightly higher in entropy, but they play almost identically. Neither can win on turn one.
RAISE is an answer list word, making it arguably better for humans. RATES tests more consonants.
Yes, it is solid. The S at the end actually prevents you from falling into traps that words ending in E sometimes trigger.
If RATES is entirely gray, guess POUND, COLIN, or MOUND to test O, U, I, N, C, L.
It uses the famous ‘Wheel of Fortune’ letters (R, S, T, L, N, E), which are deeply ingrained in puzzle logic.
SLATE is strictly better. It’s an answer list word, tests S in position 1, and has higher entropy.
WordleBot recognizes it as mathematically strong, but will penalize it slightly compared to STARE because it isn’t a potential solution.
RATES has an elite entropy score of 4.16 bits, meaning it eliminates over 97% of the dictionary.
It’s a great word for learning the mechanics of candidate reduction, but beginners should know they can’t get a 1/6.
An all-gray RATES means the word heavily relies on O, U, I, N, C, L. Guess POUND or COLIN.
Yes, RATES is vastly superior to ADIEU. ADIEU wastes too many slots on vowels; RATES balances vowels with elite consonants.
Yes. AUDIO is mathematically very weak compared to the candidate reduction RATES provides.
It means the word contains an S, and it almost certainly belongs in position 1 (e.g., SNOOP).
On average, RATES reduces the 2,316 possible words down to roughly 66 remaining candidates.
Getting a bunch of yellows and having to untangle an anagram in Hard Mode without burning a turn.
Yes. SALET is the absolute best mathematically. Or switch to STARE to use the same letters but have a chance to win.
They are very close. TRACE is better for C hunters and is an answer, while RATES tests the S.
If E, A, S are gray, Y becomes a highly probable ending letter.
Yes, it is the plural of rate (a measure) or the present tense of rate (to assign a value).
Yes, it is excellent for multi-board games because of its sheer information gathering power.
Rarely. A green S in position 5 means the word ends in a non-plural S (e.g., GLASS, VIRUS).
Candidate reduction measures how many words are eliminated from the answer list. RATES excels at this (66 remaining).
CRANE tests C and N, while RATES tests S and T. Both are elite, but CRANE is an answer list word.
None. Every single letter in RATES is a top-tier letter.
R is incredibly common, frequently appearing in position 2 (e.g., BRICK) or position 4 (e.g., HEART).
Use our Wordle Analyzer tool to input RATES against any specific daily answer and see its exact performance.
Input your RATES results to get the exact remaining words.
Match word shapes instantly using our visual tool.
Review your finished game and see your efficiency score.
Compare RATES against STARE, RAISE, and SLATE.