Cate... interesting first word. i found a few words that have 3 vowels, but i've considered the difference between a positive ID of letters vs the elimination of letters in the early words. i think i do much better the times i get zero or one match in the first two words. the letter pool gets reduced faster than if you only have 2 or 3 unknowns to play with.
just a thought.
then again, i've been having fun with first words... i believe my count of different 1st words is well over 50. sadly i've seen at least two Wordle target words i have used as first words previously. timing is everything...!!