The last WORDLE thread was archived having reached it's size limit.
Got today's in 4 - just - but it brings up an issue which I can't describe without a big spoiler. It was bound to crop up sooner or later. What are other WORDLE adicts' thoughts?
Martin
Not the first time it's happened
Some thoughts expressed on the 9.02 thread
It's a funny one isn't it?
FYI you can use spoiler tags
Like this
Just enclose the text in the tags (but without the spaces around the word spoiler):
[ spoiler ][/ spoiler ]
Hoping this spoiler thing works:
> Some thoughts expressed on the 9.02 thread
Can't find that. Sorry if I've duplicated. What was the title?
Martin
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
It's an international game, it has to happen sometimes.
Oh, I have been alert to the
> It's an international game, it has to happen sometimes.
I hope it's late enough in the day now to be more open about the issue. I disagree with you. If it was an American game then American spelling would be entirely appropriate. If it's an international game then there's a strong case for restricting the allowable answers to words which are spelled the same in all the main English speaking countries. I think Americans sometimes believe that the majority of English speakers reside in the US. But I suspect the majority of people with competency in English sufficient to enjoy WORDLE reside neither in the US nor the UK. A great many of them reside in in the Indian sub-continent and they almost certainly use English spellings.
Whether an international game or not, it is, however, just a game....
Martin
I think that it once again comes down to what different people want from a game.
I see no harm in rewarding those with a greater knowledge of a language and it's variations.
It's not the first time it's happened - I agree it's a bit annoying when you encounter it for the first time, but then you just keep in mind the fact that they're on a US dictionary.
edit: I would like to think I'd have got it without any hints. I'd seen people grumbling in several places, though, so I was very alert to the fact that there was something 'off' with this one and therefore I was thinking about US variations from the outset!
I love US spellings, freshens things up a bit and puts the Little Englanders in a terrible quandary, what with BrEng's nod to the perfidious French.
Anyway, my first two-er today.
Wordle 236 2/6
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So there's Wordle, one game per day, presumably the one bought by the NYT for $1M, and then there's Wordle-Play with unlimited games. Why did the NYT bother or have I missed something?
There are loads on Google play, wordly... and more.
Sorry Jamie if my "non-spoiler" original post actually acted as a spoiler for you.
Martin
Oh, don't give it a moment's thought! The wailing and gnashing of teeth on Facebook was much more prominent!
Edit - and this thread has taught me about the spoiler tags, which I hadn't known about before, so I'm pleased about that.
Anyone still keeping track of their average? I'm still around 3.9. I was reading some stuff about various solvers coders have written, and they seem to average around 3.6 - 3.7.
I'm intrigued as to why the computers aren't much better than that. I understand all we're doing is aiming for the fastest reduction of available choices, so human and computer will have the same approach. (Unless we're playing random guesses!)
Maybe it's because the game is too simple for a computer to have much of an advantage within the constraints?
Never mind spelling. They have changed the FONT! Damn those USians
> Anyone still keeping track of their average? I'm still around 3.9.
3.93 for me. I'm now using the same two starting words each time which exhausts all the letters that score 1 in scrabble: a,e,i,o,u,l,n,r,s,t. That means I can't score under 3 (unless one of my two starter words crops up as the answer of course). But it does seem to keep my max score to 4. Today was tricky though.
Martin
Agree, with the same two good starter words you can pretty much guarantee you will complete it in 4 attempts on average...which suggests to me the game might become boring soon
> 3.93 for me. I'm now using the same two starting words each time which exhausts all the letters that score 1 in scrabble: a,e,i,o,u,l,n,r,s,t. That means I can't score under 3 (unless one of my two starter words crops up as the answer of course). But it does seem to keep my max score to 4. Today was tricky though.
> Martin
3.79 for me from 24 goes, but I have a shameful failure when I first played it so not sure what to do with that! Count it as a 7? If so, gives me 3.92 from 25 goes.
3.97 for me after 32 goes. I've had no 6s but did have one failure - the fight/might/tight/right etc one - which I have counted as a 7.
( I have always done it in 'hard' mode.)
I don't really understand 'not' doing it in hard mode. If you religiously use the same two starting words, you only then need to think about, on average, 2 or fewer words, whereas hard mode gives you the fun of also having to think about the second word. Vastly more chance of a twoer as well.
I agree. It is more fun the hard mode way.
On my second go today I had all five letters, only one of them in the right place, another in the wrong place. It could only have been...
Perhaps it should only exist in 'Hard mode' as it's much more enjoyable to solve!
3.43 after 31. I played it in hard mode naturally without realising I hadn't got it turned for few weeks!
What's hard mode?
>3.43 after 31
I need to up my game. I've made a start:
Wordle 238 2/6
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Thanks to brain fog I can get two daily games for the price of one. This morning managed it in two, this afternoon took six attempts 🤦♀️
> FYI you can use spoiler tags
> [Spoiler]
> Just enclose the text in the tags (but without the spaces around the word spoiler):
> [ spoiler ][/ spoiler ]
Nice feature, but would it be possible to somehow make it an option when you're starting a new thread or replying to a post?
Tricky today. I had to put it down and come back to it. 3/6. Av 3.84.
I see we're back on the correct thread. Do you mean "tricky today" and you still got it in three? Took me all 6 today I'm afraid. And yesterday. knocked my average up a bit.
Martin
First failure ☹️, knew 4 of the letters after 3 but somehow missed the more obvious answer and tried all the more obscure possibilities
5/6 today, satisfactory.
Same here, several options with those letters
Exactly the same here, first ever failure
Wordle 244 X/6
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I put in a good 2+ hours of notebook time while listening to the wind. I need to get a life.
First fail and not at all happy with the answer (unsurprisingly)
Wordle 250 3/6*
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I'm not gloating much, i just got exceedingly luck with a wild guess!
Tricky but got it in 5.
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> I'm not gloating much, i just got exceedingly luck with a wild guess!
Well done, that man
> Wordle 250 3/6*
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Can someone explain in simple terms how to post these images?
When you finish click the green button saying "share". Then "copy" and "paste"
Wordle 250 4/6
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Click on share, on the Wordle site, then paste to where you want to copy it to, usually works.
Wordle 250 3/6*
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With lucky first words it’s been threes for the last couple of days, taking about 30 seconds a piece. Failed for the first time a few days ago though, with swill. Got to spill, skill, shill and then ran out of goes, which was frustrating.
Wordle 250 5/6*
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Marvellous thanks I feel so grown up now.
i Wonder if the USA will be complaining that it's not a word they are so familiar with.
Another 4 for me today. And I'm still on (and liking) easy mode. Following a couple of 6's last week which sent my average above 4, I've brought it back down to 4.0 again. I can't see it wandering far from there now.
As other posters are discovering, often after guess 2 or guess 3 you're left with a list of possible solutions with no choice in hard mode but to try them one at a time and hope you get the answer by guess 6. Not much strategy left at that point - just guesswork. In easy mode you have the chance to eliminate several possible answers in one go by choosing a word that doesn't conform to the hard mode restrictions. I find that more interesting.
Martin
I think that's fair enough. Play it in easy mode but decline the lazy option of using your two starter words whatever turns up first go.
Apparently they've outlawed words like bitch and sluts but still allow variants on the f and c word.
>As other posters are discovering, often after guess 2 or guess 3 you're left with a list of possible solutions with no choice in hard mode but to try them one at a time and hope you get the answer by guess 6. Not much strategy left at that point - just guesswork.
Yes, this happens to me often in hard mode. I might give easy mode a go.
Not that I am smarting after two 6s in a row.
<<Spoiler Below>>
I didn't know there was a hard mode, sounds a bit irritating, even though I used that tactic today.
This is my 3rd day starting with yesterday's word.
Wordle 250 6/6
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nice one- thought i could get in 2 or 3 today with first guess
Wordle 250 4/6
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> I think that's fair enough. Play it in easy mode but decline the lazy option of using your two starter words whatever turns up first go.
Yes, I have two standard starter words "Nails" and "Route" (either order) which use all the 1-scoring Scrabble letters. But I don't always use the second one. If I have useful clues from guess 1, I'll find an alternative guess 2 which gives me more information - usually one which limits further the possible positions of the letters from guess 1 which were in the wrong position. Mostly, now, I'm able, with varying degrees of effort, to list all possible answers before making guess 3. But there's usually too many of them for me to score a 3.
I'm hardly an expert though. No failures yet, but my average of 4.0 isn't sparkling.
Martin
are there any daily stats so you can compare with daily average?
> are there any daily stats so you can compare with daily average?
I don't think so, but perhaps others know better.
Also I don't know how you score a failure at line 6 as I haven't had one yet (luckily I think).
Martin
SPOILER - below has clues to Thursday's solution
Wordle 250 3/6
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My first word is always "store", usually my second is "claim" or occasionally something else that also uses "a", "i" and 3 unused consonants.
However today the "o" and "e" came up green on first row so (unusually) I then chose a word with 4 unused consonants and from there I only found 1 possible solution for row 3 - although I didn't look super-hard.
Nerdle-mini in 2, Nerdle-full in 3, but failed on Worldle again
found this self-selecting bunch: https://twitter.com/WordleStats
you'd think they'd release this basic data but they seem more interested in tracking our browsing history..
> Also I don't know how you score a failure at line 6 as I haven't had one yet (luckily I think).
I've had one: the eight/fight/light/might/night/right/sight/tight etc one. I counted it as 7.5 in the end, as there were two options left when I failed on line 6.
Since my two 6's I haven't dared work out my average.
>but failed on Worldle again
Ha! I got it in 6. I was 8000 km to the north west on the first guess and 8000 km to the east on the second. It's a big world.
I'm pretty good on geography and country shapes, so I normally get Worldle in one or two. Today, though, my second guess was one country out - they share a border - so a 3er. I normally do Worldle first, followed by Nerdle then Wordle - in order of easier to harder for me.
PS I'm retired!
Martin
With hard mode off?
I am not as good at geography as I thought.
For me it is Worldle first, then Wordle then the Guardian Quick crossword. Same order as you for difficulty.
On Sundays I do the Everyman crossword in the Observer/Guardian and that takes anything from an hour to a couple of days.
Yes, but I prefer to say "hard mode not on" 😁 in Wordle (and commutativity enabled in Nerdle)
Although the hard mode will almost always take more goes, and so it is harder in that respect, it doesn't feel as interesting in that you would just be gradually homing in on the solution. Normal mode is more challenging in that you can try and minimise overall by putting deliberately wrong answers in to maximise information - this is usually best done in row 2 so that overall coverage by the first 2 rows is maximised. Often this leaves few possible answers for row 3, but then possibly another choice - go directly for the answer on row 3, or (if too many possibles) put a row maximising elimination of possibilities on row 3, etc.
251, 4/6. There will be much lamentation and annoyance by the morning!
Wordle 251 3/6
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After line two, I could only find one possibility. A good day.
Well done.
Wordle 251 4/6
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Took me 3 to get to the one possibility; I'd just started doing silly things in Excel & Word to generate all possible letter combinations and see which were actual words when the answer hit me.
Carried on doing the silly Excel/Word thing (2197 possible remaining combinations - yes I am that geeky/sad) and there is another actual word according to Word16's standard dictionary - any member of the *****ae zoological family - no idea if Wordle would accept that as a word.
[Edit: Worldle in 3, Nerdle-mini in 3, Nerdle-full in 4]
Yes there is another possibility, it's an everyday word in my life and I can confirm that wordle will accept it
How can you tell if there's another possibility if you don't know what my first three words were so that you know which remaining letters I've got to go in spaces 1-3?
It will no doubt be possible to arrive at the solution by a route that has many possibilities even with most letters known.
In reply to timjones: - not just wild then? [you might be too young] - or maybe not very flexible - both eliminated by my first 2 words
Might give it a go when I reach 50!
> How can you tell if there's another possibility if you don't know what my first three words were so that you know which remaining letters I've got to go in spaces 1-3?
> It will no doubt be possible to arrive at the solution by a route that has many possibilities even with most letters known.
> In reply to timjones: - not just wild then? [you might be too young] - or maybe not very flexible - both eliminated by my first 2 words
Sorry I was confirming your other actual word.
As a farmer it was the first possibility that I spotted once I knew the last 3 letters.
I had you down as being older than that
> Sorry I was confirming your other actual word.
> As a farmer it was the first possibility that I spotted once I knew the last 3 letters.
This speaking in riddles is getting difficult 😁
My other possibility (for my row 4) doesn't fit the last 3 letters, it fits 2, 4 & 5.
The two I alluded to in my 10:49 post; 1 fits letters 2-5 (which I presume is the one you're talking about), the other 2, 4 & 5 again.
Maybe we should stop speaking in riddles, anyone who is dumb enough to visit this thread before completing the day's puzzle cannot really complain if they see the answer
Had a good run recently but struggled today - overthinking things. Spent far to much time on it when I had other things to do on a nice afternoon.
Wordle 251 5/6
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any tips? reading through wordle threads first for clues is a good one or better still searching the list of words, but both are cheating
I stole one of the starter words from here and use it everytime. My second word always tries to incorporate the final vowel. I always try to use the commonest letters I can around the knowns. And luck.
Double letters always give me trouble; I don't have a great strategy for that.
And of course, I don't tend to post when it runs to 6!
no trouble today though with multiple alternative options- hmm
*Spoilers below*
Started ADIEU (see upthread) - I confirmed letter #3
Second guess was POINT - to include the last of the vowels and N and T are common.
Given P, but in the wrong place, either something ending ##IMP or something #PI## seemed likely. I guess I could have had SPICY, but didn't think of it and everything else I thought of had another vowel. So I chose between (in my head) CRIMP and SPILL. I preferred the double L to the C. Were there loads more options? I wanted SPILT but the T was gone.
i'll give you that one
I was trying to help - as you asked about approach. I didn't realise I was having my integrity judged.
only joking- surprised how many people get it in so few (eg 1% get it in 1 according to twitter stats- a self selecting group)
> *Spoilers below*
> Started ADIEU (see upthread) - I confirmed letter #3
> Second guess was POINT - to include the last of the vowels and N and T are common.
> Given P, but in the wrong place, either something ending ##IMP or something #PI## seemed likely. I guess I could have had SPICY, but didn't think of it and everything else I thought of had another vowel. So I chose between (in my head) CRIMP and SPILL. I preferred the double L to the C. Were there loads more options? I wanted SPILT but the T was gone.
The number of options each of us has on row 3 will depend on our first two guesses of course. I think you still had "crisp", "clips", "slips", "blips" and "flips" as well as the three you mention. So I think you were very lucky to get it on row 3. I had, I think, just three options on row 3, one of which was the answer a while ago. so I thought it unlikely. Even then, I chose the wrong guess on row 3!
Martin
I think slick was also an option and I wouldn't bet against blimp and maybe even spick being possible answers.
There are usually words that you don't immediately spot and there has to be an element of luck in the words that you do or do not know.
Yes, lucky. Hadn't thought of crisp - and might have taken that. I don't often guess plurals.
Well, thanks for the rain on my sunshine all!
> Yes, lucky. Hadn't thought of crisp - and might have taken that. I don't often guess plurals.
> Well, thanks for the rain on my sunshine all!
Yes, I don't know if plurals are allowed as answers. Someone posted a link to the 2000 or so words allowed, but it was on the archived thread I think. I think we have had some grammatical forms before though, and "slips" and "flips" are 3rd person singular verb forms as well as plurals. Tim Jones suggested three more, although "slick" fails for lack of "p".
Martin
>Yes, I don't know if plurals are allowed as answers. Someone posted a link to the 2000 or so words allowed, but it was on the archived thread I think.
I've got that list of words. I analysed it for fun a few weeks ago but haven't looked at it since until today. It is or at least was somewhere on Github.
On going back to it I see that it contains no plurals that end in "s". Whether the NYT still uses it, who knows.
After a bad run I have got my average to dip below 4 again. 3.99 after 47 goes.
Wordle 253 3/6
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A bit of a newcomer but 4.05 after 20 days
Wordle 253 2/6
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In two today, one part strategy one (very large) part luck!
Another 4 for me today. Only two possible answers (I think) after my normal first two rows (easy mode) . Chose the wrong one.
Martin
I got it in 3 today:
Wordle 253 3/6
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There's a definite technique to it. I think Wordle's one of the most brilliant puzzles to be invented in recent times. Partly because, unlike say cryptic crosswords, they don't take very long. V rarely more than about 10 minutes.
I spent about 30 seconds on the first 2 moves (completely standard now), then nearly 10 minutes thinking through the alternatives for step three. What was so lovely is that from those first two moves I became more or less certain that the answer just had to be that. There were virtually no alternatives and they were quite obscure, surely too obscure to be the correct answer.
To enlarge on the technique: for the first two moves you need to come up with two words that use all 5 vowels and the 5 most commonly used consonants. The really important point is that they must contain all the vowels, and of course have no repeated letters. I love the way the logic then powers down on it and leaves you with remarkably few further choices.
I won't tell you what the first two words I use are because that would make it too easy
> I think Wordle's one of the most brilliant puzzles to be invented in recent times. Partly because, unlike say cryptic crosswords, they don't take very long. V rarely more than about 10 minutes.
Cryptic crosswords are like test cricket to Wordle's T20. Both have their place.
I love Wordle. If it weren't for the even quicker Worldle and my wailing cat who wants to be fed it would be the first thing I do each day. But finally solving a slow burning cryptic crossword after a few hours of intermittent effort is very satisfying.
> I got it in 3 today:
> Wordle 253 3/6
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So you are clearly using easy mode which is the equivalent of top-roping then red-pointing. How can you look yourself in the mirror? 😀
I'm writing a book at the moment and I really get quite annoyed with myself if I waste too much time on cryptic crosswords (often 2-3 hours - an incredible waste of time). Other puzzles I really like are Codeword, the Quick Crossword, and Sudoku, when it's not too hard. Suguru and Word wheel I find quite tedious, really, but again have the merit of not taking too long. The Quick Crossword is very pedestrian but very good for one's vocabulary, obviously.
Shamefully, I haven't explored the other modes yet ... You mean, I've got to go out and risk getting hurt ... and learn how to use "running belays"??
>The Quick Crossword is very pedestrian but very good for one's vocabulary, obviously.
The cat fed, that's the third thing I do each day. Well, I am busy too. I only do the cryptic on Sundays when the Everyman comes out. It's easier than most and eventually I get to share my closing travails with my 86 year old mum who has usually done the whole thing in much shorter time than me. It makes her happy and is motivation for me.
Lovely. Yes, the Everyman is nice. But the famed Times Crossword is all over the place, typically ranging all the way at one end from very hard to desperately hard.
(PS. when I first glanced at your post I saw something about you losing your toenails, and I thought what the f is that about?!)
> So you are clearly using easy mode which is the equivalent of top-roping then red-pointing. How can you look yourself in the mirror? 😀
I don't agree. "Hard" mode often leaves you with 5 or more options and no choice but to randomly guess one at a time - no skill required from then on. In "Easy" mode, with a lot more thought, you can choose a word that eliminates most of the options. I think "Easy" and "Hard" are the wrong descriptors. It's two different games - which I suppose is not that different to Red-Pointing and On-sighting....
Martin
> I don't agree. "Hard" mode often leaves you with 5 or more options and no choice but to randomly guess one at a time - no skill required from then on. In "Easy" mode, with a lot more thought, you can choose a word that eliminates most of the options. I think "Easy" and "Hard" are the wrong descriptors. It's two different games - which I suppose is not that different to Red-Pointing and On-sighting....
> Martin
Wordle 254 4/6
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Exactly what happened to me today. Usual starter word, then mop up the other vowel and some common letters... left with a set of gaps and just burned through consonants until I got lucky.
My approach is toast if they ever use CRYPT or similar!
Good Nerdle today
nerdlegame 40 2/6
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I'm beginning to think that the fewer digits you get right on the first guess the better. I'll be in a fix, though, if they ever move "=" towards the beginning. They've not done so yet, not since I've been playing.
Worldle was extremely easy today too. Now off to try Wordle - always hardest for me.
Martin
PS: Another 4 on Wordle. I think the needle's got stuck...
> think i'm doing something wrong;(
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and me
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is guesswork.
and possibly utilising recent solutions? are they meant to be randomly generated?
i find this tool speeds the decision making process: https://www.morewords.com/wordle-solver/
> i find this tool speeds the decision making process: https://www.morewords.com/wordle-solver/
Dosn't that pretty much destroy the whole point of playing?
> and possibly utilising recent solutions? are they meant to be randomly generated?
Don't know what you mean. I just guessed. I have as many 6s as I have 2s.
duplication of unusual last 3 letters
jesting again- if easy mode is top roping then that tool is jumaring or walking around the side
Using these dodgy means makes folks cheat....maybe
by guesswork you mean luck?
> A good Wordle day today.
> Wordle 254 2/6
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That's impressive. It took me 3 moves, and less than a minute:
Wordle 254 3/6
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The first two moves eliminated so much. Just about everything. I thought it had to be this, and it was. A lot of people here seem to be exaggerating how much guesswork and luck is involved. With my system the answer is typically more or less forced on me by logic, in just a few moves. I don't think you have to be particularly clever, you just have to tackle it right.
interesting first choice- is that one of your usuals?
Yes. I have completely standardised my first two moves now, as I explained above. It astonished me how much it eliminated, i.e. how few options were left. It told me that my last letter, a vowel was correct, and another vowel was in the word but not the 2nd letter. So that left me to find a double consonant at the beginning and another between the two vowels. I could literally only think of one word, using consonants that had not already been eliminated. So I thought it just has to be --*-* where the asterisks stand for particular vowels, and the blanks, consonants that I hadn't used yet. There was only one word I could think of; there was no guessing involved. I put it in, and it was correct. So, precisely zero "guesswork" today.
did you check all options with the tool above? how many options after your 2nd guess?
I can't seem to get that tool to deal with multiple rows when NOT using hard mode - does it cope with that or am I missing something (with that tool, I know I'm missing something "generally" 😁)
> Worldle was extremely easy today too.
Not if you're remembering the names of the major land masses (which aren't accepted so put in nearby answers which I was fairly sure were wrong) but can't remember the name of the political entity - took 4.
Wordle, Nerdle-mini & Nerdle-full all in 3 which seem to be my modal scores.
Edit: but, just done Quordle in 6 (feeling smug)
> did you check all options with the tool above? how many options after your 2nd guess?
No, I didn't use any tool. And as I said, I could only think of the one real option. I think there's another obscure word with a p in it, but I thought that was very unlikely indeed. They don't use very obscure words, but ones that are in everyday use.
I could explain to you in an email my thought process in solving today's problem if you like. But don't want to spoil it for others by doing that here. My system really isn't very clever, though I suppose as a writer I have quite a wide vocabulary.
Another point, my first two moves can't really be described as guesses. They're the same two words I use to start every Wordle puzzle. It's just a simple process for finding out which very common letters are and are not used in the word. I.e., in those first two moves NO thought process is involved. The third move, though, can sometimes take quite a few minutes of hard thinking.
Another 3 for me today. That's quite a few in a row. I like to vary the first guess (or two) from vowel heavy, or 'smart tactical choices', to less so. More or less different openers every time. It keeps it fun for me. I'm not trying to be 'the best' and 'win' the game, more just exercise my brain a little. Today for example my opener was: Right. Not a great first word, but I was able to get it two goes later. As Gordon says, there's often enough elimination that there seem few sensible choices remaining.
you have no interest in knowing how many options after your 2nd guess?
I've just emailed you explaining the method I used, showing that there were, realistically, NO other options for that third move. Wordle is not so nasty as to use extremely obscure words, but only ones that are in common use.
If you want to see how quick wordle can be completed check out this:
(I've linked to yesterdays puzzle, so no spoilers)
Shome mishtake shirley?
Today's very hard. Took four moves. The third move took about 10 minutes, and then I was left with something so weird that it took me ages to think of anything. In the end, after about another 10 minutes, thought of one weird word that could just be it. It was.
Wordle 255 4/6
⬜🟨⬜⬜⬜
⬜⬜🟨⬜🟩
🟨🟩🟨⬜🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
A bit naughty, because it's not English really. I hope I'm not giving too much away.
Tut! This is why I almost always do it straight after midnight to avoid spoilers - and those grids of coloured squares can sometimes give enough info to make me consider my starting word.
Anyway, a 4 too here, but the last four days I've tried to do it fast - sub one minute if possible. So, 4 today, 3 yesterday, 2 the day before, and 5 the day before that. Today's nearly took two minutes.
I figured out that if I'm prepared to spend time and come back to it a few times over the course of the day, I can get close to the computer-algorithms' averages (which are around 3.65). And once I'd proved that to myself, it became a bit boring. But I don't have the time, hence 'speedle' (av 3.5, but that's a bit of a fluke for now).
Regarding 'hard mode' - I think of it as 'plodders mode'. Where's the fun? Where's the skill? Where's the beauty? Hard mode is like watching a climber try to use the exact same sequence every time, instead of trying different and more elegant approaches to the problem.
Enough! I've been storing these ruminations up for a while.
Yeah, 255 is the first game I think people are justified to complain about.
> A bit naughty, because it's not English really. I hope I'm not giving too much away.
It seemed fair enough to me, what defines a word as "English"?
> Regarding 'hard mode' - I think of it as 'plodders mode'. Where's the fun? Where's the skill? Where's the beauty? Hard mode is like watching a climber try to use the exact same sequence every time, instead of trying different and more elegant approaches to the problem.
There is nothing elegant in faffing about with infeasible approaches when you have already identified the key moves in a sequence.
Wordle 255 5/6
⬜⬜🟨⬜🟩
⬜🟩⬜⬜🟩
⬜🟩⬜⬜🟩
⬜🟩⬜⬜🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
Seemed perfectly fair to me, not my best day but still 100% success.
Wordle 255 4/6
⬜⬜⬜🟩🟨
⬜🟨🟨🟩⬜
⬜🟩🟩🟩🟨
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
Dang - I almost made guess 3 instead of guess 2
Trying to work out what your 2nd word was 😁 - I can only see one "really good" possibility
that's the one..
> It seemed fair enough to me, what defines a word as "English"?
Obviously not "as spoken or written in England". I believe we've had two American spellings already.
I do wonder whether losing a turn if an incorrect word is entered should also be applied to the game?
It was created by someone who lives in America and is now owned by The New York Times, why would anyone expect it to be so restricted in it's choice of words?
Wordle 255 3/6*
⬜⬜🟨⬜🟩
⬜🟩🟨⬜🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
Three for me today. An unusual one, but enjoyable.
Maybe we could have a 'reverse wordle' game, where you have to guess each other's guesses from the above matrix...
> Maybe we could have a 'reverse wordle' game, where you have to guess each other's guesses from the above matrix...
Someone’s always got to take things to the extreme……
> Maybe we could have a 'reverse wordle' game, where you have to guess each other's guesses from the above matrix...
Guess? we'll have none of that if you please. All done by sophisticated deduction and well defined selection criteria (*) when several equally likely possibilities present themselves.
(*) - as in "err, I think I'll go for that one"
Yes, sorry, don't know what I was thinking. Deduce indeed.
Wordle 256 6/6
🟨⬜⬜⬜⬜
⬜⬜🟨🟨⬜
⬜🟩🟩🟩🟩
⬜🟩🟩🟩🟩
⬜🟩🟩🟩🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
Disappointing result today and I suspect that the above grid might give strategic pointers. Less 'spoiler' more 'teaser'
Jammy
Wordle 256 4/6
🟨⬜⬜⬜⬜
🟨🟨🟨⬜⬜
🟨🟩🟨⬜🟨
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
This time, hindsight didn't make me feel I could have got there quicker with a different strategy
jammy not on the list. jolly and lucky are tho
did you use your usual 2 starters today?
now there's a challenge...
Yes, I always use the same two starters.
Wordle 256 3/6
⬛🟩⬛🟨⬛
🟨🟩⬛⬛🟨
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
Well, there's the half-century. To try for 3 figures or retire undefeated? Am I that hooked?
there's enough info to infer them by now so you may as well tell us..
I thought I'd already told you?
TRAIN
LOUSE
Contains all the vowels and 5 of the most commonly used consonants.
> I thought I'd already told you?
> TRAIN
> LOUSE
> Contains all the vowels and 5 of the most commonly used consonants.
Or even ROUTE/SLAIN
> Or even ROUTE/SLAIN
Or mine: ROUTE/NAILS
That's "nails" as in "hard for the grade", just in case anyone's in the mood to complain about plurals, or about this completely non-climbing related thread.
But I don't use my second standard word if my first has given me good clues eg 2 vowels, or 3 or more letters.
I'm in "easy" mode, obviously.
Martin
In reply to magma:
> TRAIN/OLIVE?
Rather non-u.
> Or even ROUTE/SLAIN
That might be slightly more effective than mine, because it uses three vowels in the first word.
Meanwhile, I am still plodding along in duffer mode. I like starting with PIOUS. I've had a 2 from that. Someone I follow on Twitter said her teenage sons started with PENIS. I haven't tried that.
Gordon must have got an easy 3 with his starters..
Wordle 257 3/6*
🟩🟩🟩⬜⬜
🟩🟩🟩🟨⬜
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
Almost got my first (luck based) two today! Ironically (given that you can easily work out my second guess) it would have been a ‘high point’ for me.
there are 2 highpoint options?
I suppose if you were allowed to add an 'e' for a six-letter Irish highpoint...
Oh, yes, a big and a small one I get ya.
> Come to think of it "JAMMY" would be quite a difficult Wordle.
"SASSY" might be even better.
tumulus
> Wordle 256 3/6
> ⬛🟩⬛🟨⬛
> 🟨🟩⬛⬛🟨
> 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
> Well, there's the half-century. To try for 3 figures or retire undefeated? Am I that hooked?
I think I would hope that at some point within the next 50 days I would have at least one day that was busy and exciting enough to forget to play an online game
Indeed! I tend to do it first thing to get my brian in gear for those interesting things ...maybe!
Thanks for pointing out quordle, never heard of it before. I first tried it today and managed in 9:
Daily Quordle #38
3️⃣7️⃣
9️⃣6️⃣
quordle.com
🟩🟨🟨⬜🟩 ⬜🟨⬜⬜🟨
🟩🟩🟩⬜🟩 ⬜⬜🟨🟨🟨
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬜⬜🟨⬜🟨
⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ 🟨🟩⬜🟨⬜
⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ ⬜⬜⬜🟩🟩
⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ ⬜🟨🟨⬜🟩
⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
⬜⬜⬜🟩🟩 ⬜🟨🟨⬜🟨
⬜⬜⬜⬜🟩 ⬜🟨🟨⬜🟨
⬜⬜⬜🟨🟩 ⬜🟨🟨⬜🟨
⬜🟨🟨⬜⬜ 🟨🟨⬜⬜🟨
⬜⬜⬜🟨⬜ ⬜🟨🟨🟨🟩
⬜⬜🟨⬜⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
⬜🟨⬜⬜⬜ ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛
⬜🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛
Myrrh
Adieu, which covers loads of vowels, or crane, which is supposedly best from an information entropy POV
Gordon seem to have the best starter words for the easy technique- also using the most common consonants in 2x5 letter words. i wonder if there are any other 2 five letter words containing AEILNORSTU?
"Jazzy" is actually a word towards which you can "corral" Absurdle, the adversiarial version of Wordle (where the computer switches words to escape your guesses while complying with correct letters).
Bit boring once you know ho to force a solution.
CB
> Thanks for pointing out quordle, never heard of it before. I first tried it today and managed in 9:
Got my 2nd Quordle "6" today - a real boost for smug factor
The tough one today was Nerdle-full; although I got it in 4, I thought it was pretty sneaky.
>.... or crane, which is supposedly best from an information entropy POV
CRANE is 48th on my list of the most 'informative' words, based on scoring each letter by its frequency of occurrence, then totalling the letter scores to get a word score. Is that what you mean by information entropy POV?
I put ALERT/ALTER/LATER top.
Anyway, to make it more interesting I now put almost any old word in first and go from there. In fact, I might devise a random 5-letter word chooser and use whatever comes up. If WORDLE did that for all of us, each of us forced to start from some different randomly chosen first word, that might be an improvement, I think. The mode and modus operandi where you have the same two starting words every day sounds a bit dull.
Apparently crane is indeed not the best choice because some underlying assumptions about the dictionary were wrong. The underlying argument for the initial choice is here:
youtube.com/watch?v=v68zYyaEmEA&
The wordle dictionary is idiotic anyway, accepting "tacit" but not "latin"
CB
seems to accept words that aren't in the list eg avine
Yesterday was 'Nasty' first time I have ever failed, mainly because of too many options! Grrrrr!
Wordle 257 2/6
⬜🟩🟩🟨⬜
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
Good effort on second go today. Nearly blew it yesterday, like you say too many hasty, tasty, pasty options!
Grant Sanderson is very, very good, but I don't understand his point about the likelihood of what will be the final answer, suggesting that certain words are more likely to come up than others. They are randomly chosen are they not from some list?
Anyway in my less sophisticated way than his (although I calculate actual entropy and everything) it is either the best of worlds or the worst of worlds if you start with MAMMA, VIVID or FUZZY.
Wordle 258 6/6
⬜⬜🟨⬜⬜
⬜⬜⬜⬜🟨
⬜🟨🟨⬜🟨
🟨🟨🟨⬜⬜
⬜🟨⬜🟨🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
I totally lost concentration, I was listening to R4 Today programme. I repeated two yellow letters from line 3 into line 4 and then had a nerve-wracking time maintaining my 100% record. Phew!
Wordle 258 5/6
⬜🟨⬜⬜⬜
🟩⬜⬜⬜🟨
🟩⬜🟨🟩⬜
🟩⬜🟨⬜🟨
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
I also made a pig's ear out of today's Wordle. Kicking myself now!!
> Wordle 258 2/6*
> 🟨⬜🟩🟩⬜
> 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
> I've been lucky twice in a week!
I can imagine.....?
> I can imagine.....?
Sadly both on wordle! Things come in threes, maybe i should do the poor mans tax (lottery).
I was having a punt at your first word!
> I was having a punt at your first word!
Ah, yes, you're on the right track then. I generally start with dream, my son starts with audio, he likes to eliminate the vowels (obviously), I think everyone has a differing strategy.
Wordle 259 3/6
🟨⬜⬜⬜🟩
⬜🟨⬜🟨⬜
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
Pleased with that. I've yet to score a 2, but this one keeps my average heading down below 4 again. Very chuffed to get today's Worldle in 1 - it's not a country I've been to by the way.
Martin
Wordle 259 4/6
⬜⬜🟩🟨⬜
⬜⬜🟩⬜🟩
⬜🟩🟩⬜🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
And I still could have been twarted by a double letter
> Very chuffed to get today's Worldle in 1
Impressive. That part of the world is difficult.
Wordle 260 3/6
⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜
⬜⬜🟩⬜🟨
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
First time my starter word failed me completely
You did well to still get three then. Your first must have at least eliminated a good few possibilities.
I always use the same first - lots of vowels
I was pleased with the second guess.
In reply:
well?
Rushed it today (a bit stressed with other things), so not very good:
Wordle 261 5/6
⬜🟨🟩⬜⬜
⬜🟩⬜⬜⬜
🟨🟩🟩⬜🟨
🟩🟩🟩🟩⬜
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
Wordle 263 2/6
⬜🟩⬜🟩⬜
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
First two today! (Probably should just keep quiet about it, but didn't!)
Martin
Wordle 265 X/6*
⬛⬛🟨🟩🟩
⬛🟩🟩🟩🟩
⬛🟩🟩🟩🟩
⬛🟩🟩🟩🟩
⬛🟩🟩🟩🟩
⬛🟩🟩🟩🟩
Noooo! After nearly getting it in 2, I blew it.
same here ... frustrating when you have so may options for that first letter and you run out of guesses!
edited for spelling error ... oh dear