TARES Wordle Starting Word Analysis

Quick Statistics Dashboard

How We Analyze TARES

Our analysis leverages Information Theory and candidate reduction to show precisely how TARES performs.

Why TARES Is a Phenomenal Starting Word

TARES is built using five of the top six most frequent letters in the English language (T, A, R, E, S). It belongs to the legendary anagram family that includes STARE, TEARS, and RATES.

The mathematical strength of TARES lies purely in information extraction. You are essentially throwing a massive net over the dictionary. By testing the two most common vowels and three most common consonants, you almost guarantee a colorful board. On average, playing TARES leaves you with only 61 possible answers.

The Plural S Trade-off

Wordle explicitly curates its answer list to exclude simple four-letter plurals ending in S (e.g., TARES, TEARS, RATES). Because of this, TARES is purely a burner word. It can never be the final answer. You are sacrificing your 1/2309 chance at a hole-in-one to secure a vastly superior average solve rate.

Letter & Position Analysis

Let’s examine how each of TARES’s letters contributes to its overall effectiveness.

Vowel & Consonant Analysis

The Vowel Balance

TARES utilizes 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.

The Consonant Framework

By testing T, R, and S, you are querying the most common consonants. If they are gray, you know immediately that you must rely on N, L, C, P, and D. If they are yellow, they dictate exactly how the word must be formed.

Information Theory: How TARES Performs

Looking at TARES through the lens of Information Theory:

• Entropy: TARES scores a massive 4.20 bits of entropy, slightly edging out its anagrams TEARS (4.18) and RATES (4.16). This means it slices the dictionary into tiny, predictable chunks.
• Candidate Reduction: A typical play with TARES leaves you with around 61 possible answers.
• Consistency: The feedback states for TARES are rarely ambiguous, making it easy to plan a highly effective second guess.

TARES vs Other Elite Starting Words

How does TARES stack up against the best words in Wordle?

Hard Mode Performance

TARES is solid in Hard Mode (Rating: 77/100). The S at the end is actually a benefit here compared to STARE, as it prevents you from being forced to guess plurals or getting stuck in some -E traps. However, if you get _ A R E _ green, you are in the nasty ARE trap (CARES, DARES, FARES, HARES, MARES), but since none of those plurals are answers, you really only have to worry about the actual answers that fit (none, since the answers don’t end in plural S). The real trap is if the word is something like PARE, HARE, BARE, CARE, DARE, FARE, MARE, RARE… but TARES checks the S, which means if it’s an answer, it doesn’t end in S. Wait, actually the -ARE trap is brutal in Hard Mode if you played STARE and got _ A R E _ . With TARES, you test the E in position 4. If you get _ A R E _, you know the word ends in E. So you are in the -ARE trap.

Best Second Guesses After TARES

• No greens/yellows (All Gray): Guess POUND, COLIN, or CHINO. Since T, A, R, E, S are gone, pivot entirely to O, U, I, N, C, L, P.
• Only A and E are yellow: Guess CHEAP or PECAN to test new consonants while shifting the vowels.
• S is yellow: Guess SCOLD or SNOOP. A yellow S at the end implies the word starts with S.

Common Tile Patterns

How to handle feedback from TARES:

Expert Strategy: 20 Actionable Tips

1. TARES is a plural noun; it cannot win on guess one.
2. If all gray, aggressively hunt O, U, I, N, L on guess two.
3. A yellow S at the end almost always means the word starts with S (e.g., SNOB).
4. If A is yellow, try moving it to position 1 or 3 (e.g., ALOUD, BLANK).
5. If T is yellow, it likely ends the word (e.g., NIGHT).
6. If E is yellow, it almost certainly belongs at the end (e.g., CHIME).
7. If R is yellow, try it in position 2 (e.g., BRICK, CRIMP).
8. Focus your second guess on N, L, C, P, D if T, R, S miss.
9. If you get a green T, you are looking at TH- or TR- words, or TA-/TO- openings.
10. In Hard Mode, use burner words if you get 3+ yellow letters and fear a trap.
11. Use Pattern Finder if you get stuck with an A and E configuration.
12. Balance your second guess: check the vowels you missed (O, U, I).
13. If you find two vowels, stop hunting vowels and focus entirely on consonants.
14. If you miss A and E, immediately test O and U together (e.g., POUND).
15. Remember that S is very rarely green at the end of the word. If it is, look for -US, -SS, or -IS (e.g., VIRUS, CROSS).
16. If you hate not being able to win on turn one, switch to STARE.
17. Review your games to learn from your TARES follow-ups.
18. Don’t guess obscure words on turn two; rely on common English.
19. A yellow R in position 3 means it probably goes in position 2.
20. Stop and count the remaining legal words if you hit 2+ greens.

Common Mistakes

• Expecting a 1/6 win: Plurals ending in S are not on the answer list.
• Misunderstanding a yellow S: Put it at the front of your next guess, not the middle.
• Repeating gray vowels: Never guess A or E again if they were gray.
• Choosing weak follow-ups: Guessing words with low-frequency letters (Z, X, Q) when you still need structural basics (N, L, C).

Frequently Asked Questions (30 TARES FAQs)

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