Is AFOUL a good Wordle opening word?

AFOUL meets all three opener criteria: no repeated letters, 3 vowels (threshold: ≥2), and no low-frequency tiles (Q, X, Z, J). It belongs to the Tier 1 opener pool of 4,926 words — 39.5% of the 12,478-word dataset.

What is the Scrabble score for AFOUL?

8 points. Tile breakdown: A(1) + F(4) + O(1) + U(1) + L(1). The highest-value tile is F (4 points), contributing 50% of the total. This score is higher than 49% of the 12,478-word dataset (dataset median: 9 points).

How many 5-letter words start with A?

715 words in this dataset start with A, representing 5.7% of the 12,478-word total. AFOUL is one of them. Browse the full list at 5-letter words starting with A.

5-Letter Word

AFOUL

Especially of a ship's lines etc

Letter positions
Word: afoul
Position 1: a
Position 2: f
Position 3: o
Position 4: u
Position 5: l
Structure
Vowel count: 3
Consonant count: 2
Unique letters: 5
Repeated letters: No
Vowel positions: 1, 3, 4
Game use
Wordle friendly: Yes
Scrabble score: 8

Pattern Frequency

Filter	Words	% of 12,478
Starting with A	715	5.7%
Ending in L	465	3.7%
Vowels at positions 1, 3, 4	138	1.1%
No repeated letters (dataset total)	8,013	64.2%

Letter-Position Frequency

Letter	Position	Words	% of dataset
A	1	715	5.7%
F	2	23	0.2%
O	3	960	7.7%
U	4	379	3.0%
L	5	465	3.7%

Wordle Utility — Tier 1 — Opener

No repeated letters: Yes
Vowel count ≥ 2: Yes 3 vowels
No low-frequency tiles (Q, X, Z, J): Yes

Tier 1 — Opener pool: 4,926 of 12,478 words (39.5%)

Scrabble Value

Letter	Position	Tile value	Share of score
A	1	1	12%
F	2	4	50%
O	3	1	12%
U	4	1	12%
L	5	1	12%
Total		8	Higher than 49% of 5-letter words (dataset median: 9)

Frequently Asked Questions

Is AFOUL a good Wordle opening word?: AFOUL meets all three opener criteria: no repeated letters, 3 vowels (threshold: ≥2), and no low-frequency tiles (Q, X, Z, J). It belongs to the Tier 1 opener pool of 4,926 words — 39.5% of the 12,478-word dataset.
What does AFOUL mean?: AFOUL: Especially of a ship's lines etc.
What is the Scrabble score for AFOUL?: 8 points. Tile breakdown: A(1) + F(4) + O(1) + U(1) + L(1). The highest-value tile is F (4 points), contributing 50% of the total. This score is higher than 49% of the 12,478-word dataset (dataset median: 9 points).
How many 5-letter words start with A?: 715 words in this dataset start with A, representing 5.7% of the 12,478-word total. AFOUL is one of them. Browse the full list at 5-letter words starting with A.

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