The truth behind Wheel of Fortune’s famous six-letter bonus round combo — and why it’s not that helpful
With its unique format, 'Wheel of Fortune' has captivated audiences since its debut in 1975. One of the key categories of the show is 'Bonus Round,' where the contestant is automatically given six free letters, R, S, T, L, N, and E, which play a crucial role in determining if they'll hit the jackpot or not. However, there's a fascinating reason why only these six letters are offered, and it's more interesting than you'd expect.
Before 1988, ‘Wheel of Fortune’ contestants had to choose all their letters themselves in the Bonus Round, but producers noticed a trend, as nearly everyone was choosing R, S, T, L, N, and E. To spice things up and make things more challenging, these six letters were eventually offered for free, and players were asked to pick three additional consonants and one vowel. This seemingly helpful tweak aimed to increase excitement and strategy, as per Collider.
Now the major question is whether it actually helped. The answer is not really. Journalist Ben Blatt’s analysis in Slate showed that answers in the 'Bonus Round' tend to be less predictable and use rarer letters, unlike puzzles earlier in the show. Out of 13,000 regular-round puzzles and 2,000 bonus-round answers, he found that bonus puzzles were less likely to contain the RSTLNE set, making it hard for players to get useful clues, even with the free letters. So, while the rule change made the game more interesting and fair in theory, in practice, it often still leaves players grasping in the dark.
Not only that, but solving time was cut from 15 to 10 seconds in 1988, making things even tougher. But there's a smarter strategy of picking H, G, B, and O, which boosts those odds significantly. Blatt found that these choices would reveal 22.5% of 'Bonus Round' letters, which means that if 75% of a puzzle is revealed, players solve it 83% of the time. In a fun twist, fans have reimagined RSTLNE to stand for “Ryan Seacrest To Launch New Era” under the new host.
Notably, data also shows that after the automatic R, S, T, L, N, and E are applied in the Bonus Round, those six letters only reveal about 29.6% of the actual puzzle letters, far lower than their appearance in earlier rounds (around 45%). That’s because producers deliberately choose puzzles that avoid overusing RSTLNE, making the 'free' letters less helpful than they seem. So, contestants should focus on what’s not given, as per another report from Collider.
Statisticians analyzing over 2,000 Bonus Round puzzles found that choosing H, G, B, and O could reveal up to 22.5% of the puzzle, giving a major advantage. If 75% of the puzzle’s letters are shown, there’s an 83% chance it gets solved within 10 seconds. Even if the contestant doesn’t pick the statistically strongest combo, sticking with frequently used consonants (like D and C) and vowels (especially O) offers your best shot. And yes, some contestants even watch older episodes to spot trends. That's smart play, because 'Bonus Round' success isn't just luck, as it's partly pattern recognition.