How to use WordPad

WordPad turns the clues you already have into a short list of words that can still win. You never tell it the answer — you tell it how your guesses scored, exactly like the tiles in Wordle.

1. Type a guess into the top row, or tap a word from the suggestions list to load it in.
2. Color the tiles. Tap each tile to cycle it through gray (letter not in the word), yellow (right letter, wrong spot), and green (right letter, right spot) — the same colors Wordle shows you.
3. Read the ranked list. WordPad instantly filters the full answer list down to every word that still fits your clues, with the strongest next guess at the top.
4. Narrow it further. Switch the keyboard to Filter mode and tap letters you know the answer contains to shrink the list even more.
5. Repeat with your next real guess until a single word is left.

Nothing is saved and nothing is sent anywhere — every calculation happens in your browser.

Wordle strategy tips

Start with a vowel-heavy opener

Strong first guesses like CRANE, SLATE, CRATE, and TRACE pack the most common letters (E, A, R, T, S, L, N) into a single word, so most games hand you two or three colored tiles right away. WordPad ranks its suggestions by how many still-possible answers each word covers, which naturally favors these high-information guesses.

Spend your second guess on new letters

If your opener came back mostly gray, resist re-using the one yellow you found. A guess built from five fresh common letters usually rules out far more of the remaining words than nudging a single known letter around the grid.

Treat grays as hard constraints

Every gray tile removes a letter from the whole puzzle — often more powerful than a green. WordPad applies grays, yellows, and greens together, including the tricky repeated-letter cases where a letter is green in one spot and gray in another.

Break up word families deliberately

When you're down to a cluster like LIGHT, MIGHT, NIGHT, SIGHT, and TIGHT, don't guess them one at a time. Play a single word that tests several of the leading letters at once, then let WordPad point to the survivor.

Mind your remaining guesses

If several candidates are still in play and you have a guess to spare, the ranked list helps you pick the word that splits the possibilities most evenly — the fastest route down to one answer.

Frequently asked questions

Is using WordPad cheating?

It's a practice and learning tool. Plenty of players use it to study which openers work, to get unstuck on a hard day, or to check their reasoning after the fact. How you use it is up to you.

Does WordPad know today's answer?

No. It has no connection to Wordle or The New York Times and never fetches the daily puzzle. It only filters a fixed list of valid answer words using the clues you enter.

Where does the word list come from?

WordPad uses the established list of Wordle answer words, bundled directly into the page. There's no server lookup — the list ships inside the app itself.

Does it work for other five-letter word games?

Yes. Any game that scores five-letter guesses with a gray / yellow / green (or wrong / misplaced / correct) system works the same way — enter your clues and read the list.

Is my data private?

Completely. WordPad makes no network requests and stores nothing on a server. The solver, the word list, and the ranking all run locally in your browser, so your guesses never leave your device.

Is WordPad free?

Yes — WordPad is free to use, with no login required.

Wordle is a registered trademark of The New York Times Company. WordPad is a standalone companion tool and is not affiliated with, authorized, or endorsed by The New York Times.