RAISE vs ARISE as a Wordle openerWordPilot AI

Two anagrams cannot differ in which letters they test, only in where they test them — which is exactly what green squares reward.

Verdict

RAISE wins by 0.17 bits

WordPilot pick

raise

Runner-up

arise

Factor by factor

Every figure below is computed at page load by the same engine that answers your searches.

RAISE compared with ARISE across each scoring factor
Factor	RAISE	ARISE
Information revealedShannon entropy of the feedback split over the answer pool. One extra bit halves the words you still have to consider.	6.05 bits	5.88 bits
Words left on averageExpected size of the surviving pool from 574 candidates.	12	14
Worst caseLargest single feedback bucket — the unlucky outcome you have to survive.	29	42
Distinct clue patternsMore reachable colour patterns means the guess separates the pool more finely.	101	94

The reasoning

Measured over 574 everyday five-letter answers, RAISE reveals 6.05 bits of information and ARISE reveals 5.88 bits. RAISE therefore leaves about 12 candidates on an average day against 14 for ARISE.

The unlucky case matters as much as the average. RAISE can strand you with 29 words still alive; ARISE can strand you with 42. A guess with a smaller worst case protects your third and fourth turns even when its average looks similar.

Neither word is "the answer" — an opener is a measuring instrument. The right one splits the pool as evenly as possible, which is exactly what the bits figure measures. RAISE produces 101 distinct colour patterns and ARISE produces 94.

When ARISE is the better play

ARISE is still the better call if it is already consistent with clues you are holding: a guess that could itself be the answer can win the game outright, and 0.17 bits of information is a small price for that chance.