WordleSolver is a constraint filter, not an answer predictor. It checks every word against the rows and optional filters you entered, removes contradictions, and orders the survivors by how well their distinct letters cover the remaining set.
From colored tiles to a candidate list
The current tool can search four-, five-, six-, and seven-letter word lists. For the standard five-letter game, it starts with 3,424 entries. Each complete or partial clue row is applied in turn, so a word must satisfy the first row, the second row, and every later row to remain.
- Select the list. Word length chooses the source vocabulary.
- Apply tile positions. Green positions must match; yellow positions must not.
- Apply letter counts. Colored copies set a minimum and gray extras can set a maximum.
- Apply optional filters. A pattern, required letters, and exclusions narrow the set again.
- Score the survivors. Candidate-letter coverage determines display order.
Everything happens as you type or change a tile. There is no “search” request and no remote answer service. That is why the result count updates immediately.
How green, yellow, and gray become rules
| Tile evidence | Constraint used by the solver |
|---|---|
| Green A in position 3 | Every candidate must have A in position 3 |
| Yellow R in position 2 | Every candidate needs R, but not in position 2 |
| Gray N with no colored N | The candidate cannot contain N |
| Blank tile | No rule is added for that position |
A yellow tile does two jobs. It requires the letter somewhere in the word and blocks it from that specific slot. If another row puts the same yellow letter in a different slot, both positions are blocked. This row-level approach is more precise than a single general “letters included” field.
The optional pattern filter accepts a letter for a known position and an underscore or question mark for an unknown one. The “must include” filter respects repeat counts, so entering SS requires two S copies. The “exclude” filter removes any word containing a listed letter.
Duplicate letters need minimum and maximum counts
For each letter in a clue row, the solver counts green and yellow copies. That positive count becomes the minimum. If the same row also contains a gray copy, the minimum becomes the maximum as well.
The green P requires one copy in position one. The gray P caps the word at one P. POINT can pass that count rule; PUPPY cannot.
Our automated tests also check the inverse case: two positive E tiles require at least two E copies. THREE passes; LATER does not. These examples reflect the actual filter, not a manually curated result.
For a player-focused explanation of these mixed colors, use the Wordle double-letter guide.
How candidates and smart guesses are ranked
After filtering, the solver counts how many remaining words contain A, B, C, and each other letter. A letter is counted once per candidate even when it appears twice. This measures coverage: how much of the current candidate set a letter can touch.
A word receives the sum of those frequencies for its distinct letters, plus a small reward for using more unique letters. Candidate answers are sorted with that score. The smart next-guess row scores the full word list against the same remaining-letter frequencies, so it can suggest a useful probe that is not itself a candidate.
Important distinction: this is not Shannon entropy, expected remaining set size, or a learned prediction model. It is a fast, transparent unique-letter coverage heuristic.
What the percentages mean
The “useful letters now” panel divides a letter's candidate count by the total number of candidates. If E appears in 40 of 50 remaining words, the panel shows 80%. It means 80% of the current list contains at least one E, not that the answer has an 80% chance of containing E.
Why a suggested guess may break hard mode
Smart guesses are drawn from the full list and optimized for coverage. They do not pass through the clue filter first. That is useful for normal-mode probes, but hard-mode players should verify every suggested word against their revealed hints.
Word data, privacy, and honest limitations
The five-letter corpus is intentionally broader than a claimed daily-answer list. That improves pattern and word-finder coverage, but it can surface an inflection, plural, regional word, or unusual candidate. The New York Times controls its own accepted guesses and daily selection and can update them.
The browser receives the word lists with the static page. React filters them in memory, and the current clue interface has no network call or storage step. Copying candidates uses the browser clipboard only when you press the copy button.
Our tests cover green, yellow, and gray positions; a gray duplicate as a maximum; two positive duplicates as a minimum; repeated include filters; rack wildcards; and standard word-game scoring. A passing test does not prove that the corpus matches another game's private list, so the site states that limitation wherever it matters.
Inspect and use the methodology
- Open WordleSolver and use “Try an example” to see the candidate set change.
- About our word data for corpus scope and product purpose.
- Editorial policy for corrections, calculations, and source standards.
- The New York Times Wordle for the live game.