Finding Your Optimal Starting Word

• Letter Star Team
strategy tips analysis

Choosing the right starting word can make or break your word game game. Let’s dive into what the data tells us about optimal opening strategies.

Based on analysis of thousands of games on Letter Star, here are the most commonly used starting words:

  1. STARE - 18.2% of players
  2. CRANE - 14.7% of players
  3. ADIEU - 12.3% of players
  4. SLATE - 10.8% of players
  5. AUDIO - 8.9% of players

But popularity doesn’t always equal effectiveness!

What Makes a Good Starting Word?

The ideal starting word should:

  • Contain common vowels (A, E, I, O)
  • Use frequently occurring consonants (R, S, T, L, N)
  • Avoid repeated letters
  • Position letters strategically

Data-Driven Recommendations

After analyzing win rates correlated with starting words, we found:

Top Performers

Words starting with S and C showed the highest average win rates. SLATE, STARE, and CRANE consistently led to better outcomes.

The Vowel Strategy

Words with 3+ vowels (like ADIEU, AUDIO) help identify vowels quickly but may sacrifice common consonants. Players using these tend to need an extra guess but have higher overall completion rates.

The Balanced Approach

Two-vowel words with common consonants (STARE, SLATE, CRANE) offer the best of both worlds. These showed the highest solve rate in 3-4 guesses.

Finding Your Style

The best starting word is one that:

  1. You’re comfortable with
  2. Fits your solving strategy
  3. You can execute consistently

Experiment with different approaches and track your stats in Letter Star to find what works best for you!

Pro Tips

  • Stick with one starting word for at least 50 games to get meaningful data
  • Consider having a backup second word based on first-guess results
  • Don’t overthink it - consistency matters more than perfection
  • Use practice mode to test new strategies without affecting your streak

What’s your go-to starting word? Check your stats in the app to see how it’s working for you!