# If you could set a difficult Wordle word **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Tags:** board-card-word-game\ **Created:** [March 4, 2022, 8:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-set-a-difficult-wordle-word/960446 "2022-03-04T08:00:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Mark\_Finn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/34f0e0/32.png) [@Mark\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mark_Finn)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2022, 10:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-set-a-difficult-wordle-word/960446/21 "2022-03-13T10:47:27Z")
How about EXTRA? An E at the beginning, and an A at the end - neithet are very common - not to mention the X. A QU sequence is also usually hard to guess. ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2022, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-set-a-difficult-wordle-word/960446/22 "2022-03-16T05:02:43Z")
Thought of another tough but fair wordle. I do not look forward to this one coming up in the live game, as it ~~almost~~ certainly will. I challenge you to a Wardle šŸ‘‡ > **[Wordle Unlimited Practice Game](https://wordplay.com)** > > Daily Puzzle 22 ETA: Actually, this word may be harder on paper than in practice. ---
**Author:** ![SunUp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@SunUp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SunUp)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2022, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-set-a-difficult-wordle-word/960446/23 "2022-03-16T06:10:59Z")
Well, you got me. My last three guesses were SAGGY, SAPPY and SAVVY, so I was on the right track, more or lessā€¦ guessing a second S would be critical. ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2022, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-set-a-difficult-wordle-word/960446/24 "2022-03-16T12:20:04Z")
Oh, snap, I didnā€™t even realize it was another trap word. I was mainly just focused on a triple consonant. Yeah, turns out it was tougher than my edit gave it credit. After posting I thought of better ones: MOMMY and DADDY, particularly the latter. M is a pretty common guess letter, while D could be but for some reason just isnā€™t. (Pairs poorly with the other letters youā€™d want to guess, is my theory.) ETA: ā€˜Trapā€™ is a term I made up to describe those SHA\_E situations where you have 3 or 4 greens but many choices for the last letter(s). ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2022, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-set-a-difficult-wordle-word/960446/25 "2022-03-16T12:34:07Z")
I donā€™t get folks saying that words with Q or W are difficult. It narrows down the pool quite a bit, which is helpful to me. For some reason, my guesses are always blind to Y and -H. I just donā€™t expect them, and when I get them itā€™s hard to place them. So for me, it would be very hard to guess less-used words like BRINY or PHONY. ---
**Author:** ![Author\_Balk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Author\_Balk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Author_Balk)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2022, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-set-a-difficult-wordle-word/960446/26 "2022-03-16T13:34:36Z")
I had TRACE (my normal starting word) NOMAD, BASIL, WASPY (wasnā€™t sure if that was a word or not). Then I was running out of letters for \_AS\_Y. Looking at the unused letters I couldnā€™t see any that worked. Then saw \_ASSY. I probably would have done a different \_ASSY word, but knowing it was a trick word I figured it was SASSY ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2022, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-set-a-difficult-wordle-word/960446/27 "2022-03-16T13:41:13Z")
Nice! Excellent, love hearing the process. Yeah, itā€™s unfortunate that any wordles in this thread start with the premise that you know itā€™s a tough word. ETA: NOMAD is an excellent research word. I need to remember that one. EDIT2: Just thought of another hard one similar to above: LILLY. Also POPPY. Oh shit, PEPPY/POPPY/PUPPY and possibly PAPPY. I should have gone with PUPPY instead of SASSY. ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2022, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-set-a-difficult-wordle-word/960446/28 "2022-03-17T23:27:35Z")
Would you think QUBIT is hard? It has no repeated letters, butā€¦ ---
**Author:** ![mcgato](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac8455/32.png) [@mcgato](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mcgato)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2022, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-set-a-difficult-wordle-word/960446/29 "2022-03-24T17:41:26Z")
XYLEM could be difficult. ---
**Author:** ![OldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3bc359/32.png) [@OldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldGuy)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2022, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-set-a-difficult-wordle-word/960446/30 "2022-03-25T03:22:11Z")
> [@EllisDee](#): > > PEPPY/POPPY/PUPPY and possibly PAPPY. I should have gone with PUPPY instead of SASSY. My usual guesses are FRIED 0 GHOST 0 BLACK 0 J_U_M_PY_ The only letters now left are N Q V W X Z Iā€™m pretty sure Iā€™d get it on guess 5 ---
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2022, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-set-a-difficult-wordle-word/960446/31 "2022-03-25T04:06:58Z")
I didnā€™t realize what ā€œhard modeā€ meant, but now realize I always play that way. Isnā€™t everyone trying to get the word in the fewest tries? Not sure why anyone would waste a word by not using the previous clues. The most satisfying part of the game for me is when I get it in 2. ---
**Author:** ![QMatic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/aeb1de/32.png) [@QMatic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QMatic)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2022, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-set-a-difficult-wordle-word/960446/32 "2022-03-25T05:55:39Z")
In the long run seeking out more of the unknown letters rather than always going for the long-shot guess may improve your average score. You would normally only use the Hail Mary play in the dying seconds, not 5 minutes into the first quarter. ---
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2022, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-set-a-difficult-wordle-word/960446/33 "2022-03-25T19:21:45Z")
Thatā€™s interesting, but I donā€™t consider it a Hail Mary. Very rarely do I ever need more than 4 guesses, so I consider 3 my average and 2 a win. The ā€œeasyā€ way makes 2 almost impossible. ---
**Author:** ![Author\_Balk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Author\_Balk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Author_Balk)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2022, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-set-a-difficult-wordle-word/960446/34 "2022-03-26T16:47:16Z")
Today I ready this thread and wondered what I would do with PUPPY. Long story, but I think I would get it in 4 based on things I had already thought of. Then I went and played a couple of puzzles. The second one had: TRACE, LIONS, DUMPY, PUPPY. PUPPY was the answer. ---
**Author:** ![chela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chela/32/21582_2.png) [@chela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chela)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2022, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-set-a-difficult-wordle-word/960446/35 "2022-03-26T17:19:55Z")
Thatā€™s a good starting word I like the obscure ones. I only know it because I have a property on a Xylem Lane in Ocqueoc. I like plants I it should be familiar otoh. How about pbbth for a Wordle šŸ˜œ ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2022, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-set-a-difficult-wordle-word/960446/36 "2022-03-28T03:21:38Z")
I think easy mode makes it more likely to solve puzzles with more possible solutions than available guesses. Hard mode means every guess is a possible solution but it doesnā€™t always provide as much additional information as an easy mode guess. If you play on hard and have - O U L D, you are relying on luck to get the final letter. An easy mode guess can narrow down the options. I suspect optimal strategy would be a mix of the two, which is effectively saying that easy mode is optimal because it doesnā€™t preclude you from choosing hard mode guesses but hard mode does preclude you from easy mode guesses. ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2022, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-set-a-difficult-wordle-word/960446/37 "2022-03-30T16:25:12Z")
George Costanza might get VULVA quickly but I think it would stump me ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2022, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-set-a-difficult-wordle-word/960446/38 "2022-03-30T16:38:40Z")
> [@don\_t\_ask](#): > > Only if you are not playing in hard mode. And that makes the game almost pointless. > [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](#): > > I didnā€™t realize what ā€œhard modeā€ meant, but now realize I always play that way. Isnā€™t everyone trying to get the word in the fewest tries? Not sure why anyone would waste a word by not using the previous clues. The most satisfying part of the game for me is when I get it in 2. I try to straddle the dual goals of not losing and using the lowest number of guesses. If your only goal is to win then I agree that not doing hard mode is pointless because a win is so easy. When the answer is something like \*IGHT with more than 2 possible answers, I try to make a word using all the possible letters so it will lower my average score. But I usually donā€™t waste my 2nd and 3rd guesses on eliminated answers just to maximize my letter coverage. ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2022, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-set-a-difficult-wordle-word/960446/39 "2022-03-30T17:21:30Z")
I always try to start with a word associated with the day. Like if Iā€™m going to be playing D&D that day, I use Dragon. Not the cleverest plan, admittedly. ---
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2022, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-set-a-difficult-wordle-word/960446/40 "2022-03-30T18:38:45Z")
Especially since the words are all 5 letters. šŸ˜‰ [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-set-a-difficult-wordle-word/960446.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-set-a-difficult-wordle-word/960446.md?page=3)