Why Quordle and Octordle need a different plan
Quordle and Octordle are won by managing guesses across boards, not by solving each board perfectly. Every word you type counts on all boards at once, so a guess that cracks one board but teaches you nothing about the others is often a wasted turn.
In regular Wordle you have six guesses for one word. In Quordle you share nine guesses across four words, and in Octordle you share thirteen across eight. That means fewer spare guesses per word than Wordle gives you, and the order you solve in matters as much as the words themselves.
This guide covers the three parts of a winning round: the opening, the middle game, and the guess budget at the end. You can practise every step for free in our four-board Quordle game and the eight-board Octordle.
How Dordle, Quordle and Octordle compare
The games share Wordle’s color rules and differ only in how many words you chase at once and how many guesses you get. The numbers below are for the standard versions of each game.
| Game | Hidden words | Total guesses | Guesses per word | Spare guesses after 2 openers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wordle | 1 | 6 | 6 | 3 |
| Dordle | 2 | 7 | 3.5 | 3 |
| Quordle | 4 | 9 | 2.25 | 3 |
| Octordle | 8 | 13 | 1.6 | 3 |
The last column is the one that matters. Every board needs one guess to type its answer, so your spare guesses equal total guesses minus your openers minus the number of boards. With two openers, all four games leave you just three guesses of room for error. The difference is that in Octordle those three spare guesses have to cover eight unknown words.
If you are new to multi-board play, start with Dordle’s two boards to get used to reading two sets of colors at once.
Opening guesses: cover as many letters as you can
Open with two or three words that share no letters, and play them no matter what the first one shows. On a multi-board game, your first guesses are scouting every board at once, so letter coverage beats chasing an early green.
A reliable set is SLATE, CORNY, HUMID. Together they test 15 different letters, including all five vowels and the most common consonants.
- Quordle: play SLATE and CORNY. Two openers still leave three spare guesses.
- Octordle: play all three. Eight boards give you a lot of colors to read, and the third word usually pins down several boards at once.
- Dordle: one or two openers are enough. Switch to targeted guesses as soon as one board looks close.
You do not have to use these exact words. Any set with no repeated letters and a good spread of vowels works. The rule is simple: do not break the set early just because one board lit up.
Middle game: which board to solve first
After your openers, solve the board with the fewest possible answers first, then use that guess to learn about the others. A board with three greens and one yellow might have only one or two words left. A board with a single yellow could have hundreds.
Work through each round like this:
- Scan every board. Count how many greens and yellows each one has. The board with the most fixed letters is usually the closest.
- Solve it only if you are sure. If one word fits, type it. You lose nothing, because that guess also scores on every other board.
- If two or three words fit, pick a smart test word. Choose a word that splits those options and also tests new letters for the weaker boards. One good test word can settle two boards at once.
- Read each board’s colors separately. The same letter can be green on one board and gray on another. Look at the board, not just the keyboard, before you plan your next word.
Watch for double letters. Words like SHEEP, FUNNY and LLAMA trip up a lot of players, because the opener only tells you a letter is in the word, not how many times. If a board stalls with few letters left, a repeated letter is often the reason.
When you cannot work out which words still fit a single board, enter that board’s colors into the Wordle solver. It works on one board at a time and shows every word that still matches.
Endgame: count your guesses before every move
Once you are past the openers, count two numbers before each guess: guesses left and boards left. If they are equal, every remaining guess must be an answer. There is no room for a test word.
Here is how that looks in a Quordle round:
| After guess | Boards solved | Guesses left | Boards left | Spare guesses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 (openers) | 0 | 7 | 4 | 3 |
| 4 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 2 |
| 6 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| 7 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| 8 | 4 | 1 | 0 | Won |
The safe habit is to spend spare guesses early, when a test word can help several boards, and to stop testing once spare guesses reach zero. In Octordle the same rule applies, but with eight boards you will often hit zero spare guesses by guess nine or ten, so test words belong in the first half of the game.
If you are on your last spare guess and two boards each have two possible words, guess the word that, if wrong, tells you the most about the other board. That keeps a loss from turning into two.
Five mistakes that cost multi-board rounds
- Tunnel vision on one board. Spending three guesses on one stubborn board drains the spares the other boards need. Park it and come back once other boards are solved.
- Breaking the opening set early. A green on guess one is tempting, but chasing it leaves big gaps in what you know about the other boards.
- Reading only the keyboard. In Quordle and Octordle a key shows colors for several boards. Check each board itself before ruling a letter out.
- Forgetting double letters. If a board has four letters placed and nothing fits, try a word with a repeated letter.
- Testing when you have no spares left. Once guesses left equal boards left, only type words that can actually be answers.
When you are stuck on today’s puzzle
If a daily round has you beaten, use the lightest help first so the win still feels like yours.
- Narrow one board yourself. Put that board’s greens, yellows and grays into our solver for green, yellow and gray letters to see which words still fit.
- Check today’s answers. Our daily Quordle answers page and today’s Octordle answers are updated every day, so you can check one board and finish the rest on your own.
- Doing Wordle too? The Wordle hints for today start with gentle clues and keep the answer hidden until you choose to see it.
The best way to improve is plenty of low-stakes rounds. Our versions of Quordle, Octordle and Dordle are free in your browser, with no sign up, so you can test these strategies before the next daily puzzle.
Quordle and Octordle FAQs
Is Octordle harder than Quordle?
Yes, for most players. Both games leave about three spare guesses after two openers, but Octordle spreads them across eight words instead of four, so each mistake hurts more.
What is a good starting word for Quordle?
Any word with two vowels and common consonants works, such as SLATE. What matters more is following it with a second word that shares none of its letters, like CORNY.
How many guesses do you get in Quordle and Octordle?
The standard Quordle gives you nine guesses for four words. The standard Octordle gives you thirteen guesses for eight words.
Can I use a Wordle solver for Quordle or Octordle?
Yes, one board at a time. Enter a single board’s colors into the solver and it lists the words that still fit that board.
Should I solve the easiest board first?
Usually, yes. Solving a board you are sure about costs nothing, because that guess also gives you colors on every other board.
Final tip
Play your openers, solve the surest board, and count your spare guesses before every move. Those three habits win more Quordle and Octordle rounds than any single magic word. For more puzzles in the same spirit, browse our list of games like Wordle.
Try Hard Wordle is an independent site. It is not affiliated with The New York Times, the official Quordle, the official Octordle or any guide site.
