The Best and Worst Letters for Wordle, According to the Data

Your Wordle strategy shouldn't just be a lucky guess on repeat. While it's tempting to stick to a favorite rotation like "TRAIN" or "CLOSE," you're gambling with your streak by not playing the averages. Most people pick starting words based on a gut feeling, but in 2026, we actually have the data to show that certain letters (like E, A and R) carry much more weight than the obscure ones you might be chasing to be "cool."

Click here for today's Wordle hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles.

In order to get the absolute best starter words, you should know which letters turn up the most in English. I reached out to the big brains at the Oxford English Dictionary-- you know, the whopping, multi-volume dictionary that no one actually owns,...

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