Data analysis
The most common Wordle letters, measured
Generic English letter frequency (ETAOIN SHRDLU) comes from books and newspapers. Wordle answers aren't books — they're a curated list of five-letter words. So we counted every letter in all 1,912 official answers published through today: 9,560 letter slots. Here's what the data actually says.
Overall frequency: every letter, ranked
E is untouchable: 1,032 appearances, and it shows up in 47% of all answers — miss E in your opener and you're playing with a handicap. A and R round out the podium, which is why nearly every strong starting word is built from those three letters plus S, T, or L.
At the other end, J (22), Q (28), X (33), Z (36) barely appear at all. Guessing JAZZY on row one is a lifestyle choice, not a strategy.
Position changes everything
The most common letter in each slot, with runners-up:
| Slot | 1st | 2nd | 3rd |
|---|---|---|---|
| Position 1 | S281 | C169 | B147 |
| Position 2 | O240 | A238 | R223 |
| Position 3 | A274 | O213 | I211 |
| Position 4 | E250 | N149 | I145 |
| Position 5 | E378 | Y267 | T214 |
S dominates position 1 with 281 answers — roughly one in seven puzzles starts with S — yet it almost never ends a word. E is merely common in the middle but owns position 5 with 378 answers. Y is the second-most-common ending (267), behaving like a vowel exactly where words need one.
Vowels vs consonants
Vowels (A E I O U)
35.8%
3,426 of 9,560 letter slots
Answers with a repeated letter
31.2%
597 of 1,912 answers
Roughly two in five letter slots are vowels, and the typical answer contains exactly two. That's the mathematical backbone of vowel-heavy openers: covering A and E on row one tests the two letters most likely to be in the word.
The double-letter stat is the one that saves streaks: 31.2% of answers repeat at least one letter — nearly one puzzle in three. Wordle never signals a repeat, so when your board has three greens and refuses to resolve, a double letter is the most likely culprit. Test for it before your last two rows.
First letters vs last letters
Most common first letters
| S | 281 answers |
| C | 169 answers |
| B | 147 answers |
| T | 127 answers |
| A | 124 answers |
Most common last letters
| E | 378 answers |
| Y | 267 answers |
| T | 214 answers |
| R | 162 answers |
| L | 136 answers |
Put the numbers to work
This analysis powers our data-ranked starting words — and you can explore every word matching these patterns with the5-letter word finder. Stuck mid-puzzle? The solver applies this same frequency data to your board in real time.