Tips for the Word of the Day

Stuck on the word of the day? Here you'll find general strategies and tips to improve your game. We don't reveal the solution directly — the fun is in finding it yourself. If you're looking for words played in the past, visit the word archive.

The first-try strategy

The first try is the most important of the whole game. A good choice gives you valuable information for everything that follows. The key is to cover as many frequent letters as possible:

• AIUTO: covers 4 vowels (A, I, U, O) and the consonant T. Ideal for quickly ruling out the missing vowels.
• REGIA: mixes vowels (E, I, A) with frequent consonants (R, G). A great balance for Italian.
• STELO: very common consonants (S, T, L) with the vowels E and O.
• BRANO: covers B, R, N, A, O — a solid mix of common consonants and vowels.

The most frequent letters in Italian

Among the thousands of 5-letter words in the Italian dictionary, the most common letters are:

1. A — the dominant letter of Italian, present in about 51% of the 5-letter words in the dictionary
2. I — the second most frequent letter, almost neck and neck with A
3. E — the third vowel, very common in verb endings
4. O — the fourth vowel, often at the end of a word
5. R, S — the most common consonants
6. T, L, N — round out the top nine

Italian is a language rich in vowels: a 5-letter word often contains 3 or even 4 of them. If your first two tries cover A, I, E, O, R and S, you already have a very solid base. For the full tables of frequency, endings and most common first letters, see the page on 5-letter Italian words.

How to use the colors effectively

The colors are your compass. Learning to use them to the fullest makes the difference between 3 and 6 tries:

• Green: that letter is confirmed in that position. Don't move it. Build your next try around it.
• Yellow: the letter is in the word but in another position. Think about where it could go based on Italian patterns.
• Gray: rule it out completely. The on-screen keyboard reminds you which letters you've already dropped.

Typical Italian patterns

Knowing the most common patterns of 5-letter Italian words gives you a huge advantage:

• Verb endings: -ARE, -ERE, -IRE are the most common infinitives. -ATO (past participle), -ITA (feminine participle or noun) and -ANDO (gerund) and -ENTE (present participle) also appear frequently.
• Noun endings: -ONE (for example RIONE), -EZZA, -ARIO and -ISTA are very widespread suffixes in Italian.
• Most frequent first letters: S, C, P, A and B are the letters that begin the most 5-letter words. If the first letter is still uncertain, try these.
• Double consonants: LL, TT, SS, RR, PP and NN are quintessentially Italian combinations. If you have a green consonant and nothing fits, consider that it might be doubled.

Don't forget the accents

Unlike many similar games, La Parola del Giorno includes accented vowels (à, è, ì, ò, ù) as distinct letters. The dictionary has 40 words with accented vowels. Don't rule them out — they could be the key to today's solution.

Remember: METRO and METRÒ are different words. If an unaccented vowel doesn't work in any position but you know it's in the word, try its accented version.

Advanced strategy: the second try

The second try is where good players stand out from great ones. After seeing the results of your first try:

• If everything is gray: great news! You've ruled out 5 letters. Use a word with completely new letters to cover more ground.
• If you have greens: keep those letters fixed and try other new letters in the remaining positions.
• If you have yellows: move those letters to new positions. Combine them with letters you haven't tried yet.
• If you have a mix: prioritize the greens, reposition the yellows and avoid the grays.

Frequently asked questions about the solution

How do I guess the word of the day?

Start with a word rich in different vowels (like AIUTO or REGIA) to find out right away which ones are present. Use the color clues: green = correct position, yellow = letter present but in another position, gray = letter absent.

What are the most frequent letters in Italian?

The most frequent letters in 5-letter Italian words are A, I, E, O, R, S, T, L and N. The vowels dominate especially compared with other languages. Using words that contain them in your early tries maximizes your chances of getting useful clues.

What do I do if I have yellow letters but don't know where to put them?

Think about the typical patterns of Italian: endings like -ARE, -ERE, -IRE, -ATO, -ONE, -ENTE. Try moving the yellow letters to these frequent positions. You can also think of word families that contain them.

Is it better to always start with the same word?

Many experienced players always use the same opening word because they already know its information value. The key is to cover different vowels and frequent consonants in your early tries.

Can the solution contain repeated letters?

Yes. The word of the day can contain double letters (like PALLA, GATTO or ROSSO). If a letter shows up green but no word seems to work, consider that it might appear twice.

Can the solution contain accented vowels?

Yes. The dictionary includes accented vowels (à, è, ì, ò, ù). The day's solution can contain any of these letters. Don't rule them out of your tries.