How a next guess is chosen

The page shows two different lists. A possible answer is a word that would have produced every color pattern you entered. A recommended guess is a word that should split those answers into smaller groups. The second word might not itself be a possible answer.

While many words remain

Simulating every allowed guess against thousands of answers is unnecessary on the first turn. The ranker scores each guess by the distinct letters it tests and how often those letters appear among the remaining answers. A guess that is also a possible answer gets a small boost, because playing it can end the puzzle.

When the list is short enough to simulate

Once few answers remain, the ranker plays a candidate guess against each of them. Answers that would return the same five colors are grouped. An all-green result leaves no further words. Every other pattern leaves a group of that size. The score is the average size of the group you would be left with.

A guess that splits twelve words into six and six is usually more useful than one that splits them into ten and two. A possible answer is preferred by a fraction of a word, so two equally informative guesses favor the one that might win immediately.

What the suggestion is not

The average is a calculation, not a promise. The puzzle may still take another guess. The dictionary is a common-English list, so a real answer can be missing. If you want the rule that keeps repeated letters honest, read how repeated letters change the colors. Then return to the solver and mark the next row.