Short words, quick rounds: find the hidden four-letter word in six tries, then jump straight to the next one.
Why four letters is harder than it looks
Four-letter words feel easy until you meet a family like BAKE, CAKE, FAKE, LAKE, MAKE, RAKE, TAKE and WAKE. With only four tiles, each guess tests fewer letters, and plenty of words differ by a single one. That is why the four-letter game rewards careful elimination more than a big vocabulary.
The answers come from a list of 1,396 common four-letter words, and your guesses are checked against 4,209 valid words, from everyday ones like lamp and grin to crossword regulars like adze. An answer has 1.47 vowels on average, and 18.3% of them repeat a letter, as in tell or deed.
Best starting words for 4 letters
We scored every possible first guess against the full list of four-letter answers and measured how well its colors split that list. The best everyday words to start with are TALE, SALE, TEAL, LATE, LANE. TALE leaves about 100.7 possible answers on average after the first guess. A strong second guess that shares no letters with it is MORN. The full method is on the how to play page.
The letters you will meet most often are E (37.8%), A (35.6%), O (27%), L (25.1%), T (23.4%), R (23.2%). S is the most common first letter (10.8% of answers) and E the most common last letter (18.6%), so a first guess ending in E earns its keep.
Tips for fast rounds
- Spend guess two on four new letters. Two guesses with no overlap test eight letters, which is a third of the alphabet.
- Break up word families on purpose. Down to BAKE, CAKE, MAKE and TAKE with three guesses left? Play a word that contains B, C and M, even if it cannot be the answer.
- Watch for doubles late. When nothing fits, try a repeated letter: boot, feel and sell hide in plain sight.
- Want a streak that counts days? The daily 4-letter puzzle is the same word for everyone until midnight Eastern Time.
Frequently asked questions
How many guesses do I get with 4 letters?
Six, the same as with five letters. Short words have many close neighbors, so you need every one of them.
What is the best first word for 4-letter Wordle?
By our computation over the answer list: TALE, SALE, TEAL, LATE, LANE. TALE splits the answers best.
Are plurals allowed?
As guesses, yes (cats, bees). The answers are always base words, so a plural is never the solution.
Is there a daily 4-letter puzzle too?
Yes. The daily 4-letter puzzle changes at midnight Eastern Time and keeps its own streak.