Hardest 5-Letter Words

We scored each of the 2,336 possible Wordle game answers using a difficulty rating system. The highest-scoring word (most difficult) was listed first because it represented the combination of multiple types of difficulty.

JAZZY

Hardest

word

+222%

Doubles

harder

Q,X,Z,J

Rarest

letters

Top Score

difficulty rating

Top 15 Hardest Wordle Words

We calculated difficulty scores for every Wordle answer. JAZZY tops the list with a score of 75. These words combine multiple difficulty factors: rare letters, double letters, or uncommon letter patterns.

#	Word	Score	Why
1	JAZZY	75	Double letter: ZZ
2	FUZZY	57	Double letter: ZZ
3	FIZZY	56	Double letter: ZZ
4	DIZZY	55	Double letter: ZZ
5	PIZZA	55	Double letter: ZZ
6	TIZZY	55	Double letter: ZZ
7	BOOZE	40	Double letter: OO
8	JIFFY	36	Double letter: FF
9	KAYAK	36	Rare letters: K
10	QUEUE	36	Very rare letter: Q
11	VERVE	36	Rare letters: V
12	VIVID	36	Rare letters: V
13	AFFIX	35	Double letter: FF
14	ANNEX	35	Double letter: NN
15	BOOZY	35	Double letter: OO

Wordle Difficulty Factors

We identified the major contributors to a high difficulty score. The rarest letters (Q, X, Z, and J) add the largest bonus, while double letters and low-frequency letter mixes also push words higher under this model.

Double Letters

Very Rare Letters (Q, X, Z, J)

Rare Letters (V, K, W)

Uncommon Combinations

Non-Adjacent Repeats

Double Letters: Words with adjacent repeated letters (LL, SS, EE) are harder because players often try unique letters first.

Very Rare Letters (Q, X, Z, J): These letters appear in very few words, making them unexpected choices.

Rare Letters (V, K, W): Less common consonants that players may not guess early.

Uncommon Combinations: Words using multiple low-frequency letters together.

Non-Adjacent Repeats: Letters that appear twice but not together (e.g., EERIE) confuse position tracking.

Double Letters Add More Difficulty

Under this scoring model, words that include a pair of identical letters have significantly higher difficulty ratings than words without doubles. Average score with doubles: 17.7 vs 5.5 without. That's 222% higher under the same scoring rules.

Double letter analysis →

Hardest Letters to Guess (Q, X, Z, J)

Q, X, Z, and J are among the least common letters in five-letter words. When a Wordle answer contains one of them, it earns a higher difficulty score because these letters are both infrequent and easy to delay in early guesses.

J words (28)

BANJOEJECTEMOJIENJOYFJORDJAUNTJAZZYJELLYJERKYJETTYJEWELJIFFYJOINTJOISTJOKERJOLLYJOUSTJUDGEJUICEJUICYJUMBOJUMPYJUNTAJUNTOJURORMAJORNINJARAJAH

Q words (29)

EQUALEQUIPPIQUEQUACKQUAILQUAKEQUALMQUARKQUARTQUASHQUASIQUEENQUEERQUELLQUERYQUESTQUEUEQUICKQUIETQUILLQUILTQUIRKQUITEQUOTAQUOTEQUOTHSQUADSQUATSQUIB

X words (37)

AFFIXANNEXAXIALAXIOMAXIONBORAXBOXERBUXOMDETOXEPOXYEXACTEXALTEXCELEXERTEXILEEXISTEXPELEXTOLEXTRAEXULTFIXERHELIXINBOXINDEXMAXIMOXIDEPIXELPIXIEPROXYRELAXSIXTHSIXTYTOXICTOXINTWIXTVIXENWAXEN

Z words (37)

AMAZEAZUREBEZELBLAZEBLITZBOOZEBOOZYCRAZECRAZYDIZZYDOZENFIZZYFRITZFROZEFUZZYGAUZEGAZERGIZMOGLAZEGRAZEHAZELJAZZYMAIZEOZONEPIZZAPLAZAPRIZERAZORSEIZETIZZYTOPAZUNZIPWALTZWOOZYZEBRAZESTYZONAL

Difficulty Scoring Method

The scoring method uses a point-based system. Q, X, Z, and J add the largest bonus. If none of those appear, V, K, and W can add a smaller rare-letter bonus. Additional points come from double letters, non-adjacent repeats, uncommon letter mixes, and a small bonus for certain unusual endings.

Q, X, Z, J: +20 points each
V, K, W: +10 points each when no Q, X, Z, or J is present
Double letters: +15 per double
Non-adjacent repeats: +8 per repeat
Other bonuses: uncommon letter combinations and certain unusual endings

Scores based on letter frequency, doubles, and rare letters. Does not use player data.

Data Source:NYT Wordle word list

Source Code:View on GitHub

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