Binghamton Researchers Report 99% Wordle Simulation Success

Researchers at Binghamton University developed a Wordle strategy based on Shannon entropy that solved about 99% of puzzles in simulations. Rather than guessing the most likely answer immediately, the method prioritizes words expected to provide the most information by eliminating large numbers of possible solutions. Players use Wordle’s gray, yellow and green feedback to continually update the set of remaining possibilities and select increasingly informative guesses. Computational approaches often recommend opening with words containing frequent vowels and consonants, such as “CRANE,” “SLATE” or “TRACE,” though the optimal choice changes as clues accumulate. The researchers say the information-based method outperformed conventional strategies focused mainly on common letters, but applying it in real time may require a script or program to calculate each next guess.