Octordle strategy guides

Short guides with worked examples. Start with the rules if you are new, or jump to the topic you keep getting stuck on.

• How to play Octordle

  The rules, what each color means, and a worked first guess across eight boards.

• Best Octordle starting words

  What makes a strong opening, letter overlap in two-word starts, and when to adapt.

• How to read all eight boards

  Why one letter can look different on every board, and a simple order for scanning them.

• Repeated letters and gray tiles

  Why gray does not always mean a letter is missing, explained with APPLE and ALLEY.

• When to use a probe guess

  How one information guess can split an -IGHT family, and when not to risk it.

Want to compare opening words yourself? Try the starting-word tester.