is there an optimum first go and are some seemingly good first goes not as good as they might appear.
It depends on whether you are playing hard mode or not. If you are not playing hard mode, changing all the letters on the second and maybe third attempts lets you eliminate a lot of letters. It’s usually easy to get it in four attempts if you start with these three words.
If you’re playing hard mode, your options are constrained after the first attempt. In that case, it may be worth using a first word intended to eliminate letters rather than generate hits.