# What's your Wordle approach? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Tags:** board-card-word-game\ **Created:** [January 7, 2022, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-wordle-approach/957372 "2022-01-07T14:08:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2022, 8:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-wordle-approach/957372/101 "2022-02-02T08:27:04Z")
Oh I didn’t realize that had happened. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2022, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-wordle-approach/957372/102 "2022-02-02T15:21:05Z")
> **[People Are Downloading the Next 2,000 Days of Wordle](https://www.vice.com/en/article/akvjbb/people-are-downloading-the-next-2000-days-of-wordle)** > > You can preserve the original, blessedly free, Wordle and play it for about 7 more years. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2022, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-wordle-approach/957372/103 "2022-02-02T19:39:09Z")
I don’t have a standard start word, but I like to use both E and A in the first guess and the more common consonants T, R, N, L, and S with it. If that fails then I use a word with O and I for my second guess. Once you have the vowels and at least a couple consonants known it should only require 1 or 2 more guesses. ---
**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:** [February 15, 2022, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-wordle-approach/957372/104 "2022-02-15T05:49:04Z")
> [@Dr\_Paprika](#): > > It is based on the provided list of permitted words, It’s not a list of “permitted words”, it is a list of the actual answers in the order they appear. Assuming a player doesn’t know the order they appear, the statistical analysis seems valid. > But we don’t have to simply take the publication’s word for it. Upon Wordle’s inception in June, each word for each day up to October 2027 was written into a script. When you play Wordle, your browser downloads that script so that it can allocate the right word to whatever date you’re playing. Internet-savvy folks are able to read that script, which has since been posted to Medium. **Warning** : That link provides answers to Wordles for the next five years. Edit: Broke the link to the answers list and removed redundant quote and reply. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2022, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-wordle-approach/957372/105 "2022-02-15T14:11:08Z")
I have little interest in looking at the actual answer list. That kind of defeats the fun and purpose of the game, to me, even if there are a lot of them. It is slightly sad to me (though I understand people are curious) that people would rather hack the code than just play the game. It is surprising how much attention this game has garnered though it is fun to play. Really, it’s just about perfect - you can usually reduce it to one possible word in four or five guesses. But your point is true. If you take the actual answers and do statistics on them, you are more likely to get the actual answers. Perhaps the Jumble puzzle would also be more satisfying if it came with most of the words already completed. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2022, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-wordle-approach/957372/106 "2022-02-15T15:00:15Z")
> [@Dr\_Paprika](#): > > I have little interest in looking at the actual answer list. That kind of defeats the fun and purpose of the game, to me, even if there are a lot of them. I’m with you. I won’t look at the answer list. I just play the game and am having fun with it. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2022, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-wordle-approach/957372/107 "2022-02-15T15:59:44Z")
> [@Dr\_Paprika](#): > > It is slightly sad to me (though I understand people are curious) that people would rather hack the code than just play the game. I thought so too, but I’ve come around. I think one of the reasons Wordle is so popular is because its simplicity allows for many interpretations of how to engage with it. Word nerds like me can pick a different start every time and just play it as a vocab game. Logic nerds can try to figure out the most optimal opening moves and go from there. But beyond that, the transparency of the code and the relatively small data sets make it easy for stats nerds and coding nerds to get involved on their terms. That’s not even getting into all the niche and not-so-niche wordle copycats out there. I played one round of Nerdle, solved it, and will absolutely never try it again because I hated it. It’s pretty cool! Lots of people are able to enjoy Wordle in lots of ways, and with absolutely no adjustments (that I’m aware of) by the creator since it went live. Very few things hit that sweet spot. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2022, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-wordle-approach/957372/108 "2022-02-15T16:48:38Z")
Yes and no. It’s an almost perfect game. It brought money and fame to its creator. Of course people will try to copy it. This bothers me not. You could easily make a long list of common five letter words. If there are thousands of words on that list, including most of the common ones, a statistical analysis of my list of common words may not differ much from the overall list depending on idiosyncrasies like whether plurals are commonly used. To come up with some cheesy click bait on “the best first two words to use”, it seems clear that you can usually guess the thing with any of hundreds of first guesses which use common letters. On one hand, it _is_ interesting - I am a word nerd. On the other, it undermines the game for an insignificant advantage. Do as you wish, my preference is to play the game rather than gain a superficial advantage from slightly dubious methods. But I appreciate and expect others will view it differently. ---
**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:** [February 16, 2022, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-wordle-approach/957372/109 "2022-02-16T01:22:25Z")
> [@Dr\_Paprika](#): > > On the other, it undermines the game for an insignificant advantage. I don’t really see how it undermines the game? Is it that it relies on someone knowing the list of answer words? That’s not undermining the game, it is fundamental to playing the game that you at least have an idea of which words can be answers, no plurals or proper nouns for example. That’s no different than agreeing on a dictionary to use for a game of Scrabble. ---
**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:** [February 16, 2022, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-wordle-approach/957372/110 "2022-02-16T02:02:03Z")
Does wordle let you try to guess plurals and proper nouns, or does it just flat out tell you that those guesses are invalid? If the latter, there is a difference between in-game knowledge and gaining additional knowledge from the source code. If the former, your point stands tall. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2022, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-wordle-approach/957372/111 "2022-02-16T02:24:58Z")
> [@Dr\_Paprika](#): > > . It is slightly sad to me (though I understand people are curious) that people would rather hack the code than just play the game. Nothing was hacked. The code was made available by the creator. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2022, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-wordle-approach/957372/112 "2022-02-16T02:33:09Z")
I get what you are saying. No doubt the attention focused on the game mechanics added to its buzz and perhaps allowed the author to sell it more profitably. My personal preference is not to know every detail of the word list. Some others have a different preference. I did not know, in fact, whether plurals were allowed but it actually does not make very much difference - the S usually comes out in the first or second guess anyway. ---
**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:** [February 16, 2022, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-wordle-approach/957372/113 "2022-02-16T13:09:25Z")
> [@Richard\_Pearse](#): > > Is it that it relies on someone knowing the list of answer words? That’s not undermining the game, it is fundamental to playing the game that you at least have an idea of which words can be answers, no plurals or proper nouns for example. That’s no different than agreeing on a dictionary to use for a game of Scrabble. > [@EllisDee](#): > > Does wordle let you try to guess plurals […] > > If [so], your point stands Yesterday let me guess LOANS, so your point definitely stands. I know that answers don’t contain plurals, but there’s no way I could have known that from the game itself. It’s purely outside knowledge, similar to looking up the word list in the source code. ---
**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:** [February 16, 2022, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-wordle-approach/957372/114 "2022-02-16T13:16:12Z")
Back on topic, my wordle strategy has started to take shape. I use good starting words but try to change up to a new one each day, occasionally repeating a previously used one. In my first two words I’m looking to use four vowels: A, E, I and O. That leaves me six consonants. I try to always have five of those letters be L, N, R, S and T. Then the sixth letter can be any letter from the following list both for variety and to allow a larger guess range: C, D, H, M and P. The third guess is my first attempt at the actual answer, or when I start checking letters like U and Y if I’m totally stumped. ---
**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:** [February 16, 2022, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-wordle-approach/957372/115 "2022-02-16T19:33:09Z")
How often do you reach a situation like this? With three guesses left, i have \_ATCH. Choices left to me are B, L, M, and P - as well as C and H (double letters already guessed once). Six possibilities and three guesses. But i was guaranteed to guess the right answer within the three chances. First guess: BUMPY. All grey, so B, M, and P are eliminated as a starting letter. If one showed up yellow or green, that would have been the correct starting letter. Then CLOCK. The L and one C showed grey, so by process of elimination the correct answer was HATCH, on the last guess. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2022, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-wordle-approach/957372/116 "2022-02-16T19:36:25Z")
> [@Mark\_Finn](#): > > How often do you reach a situation like this? With three guesses left, i have \_ATCH. Choices left to me are B, L, M, and P - as well as C and H (double letters already guessed once). I had that on the day it was MOIST. It could have been JOIST, HOIST or FOIST. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2022, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-wordle-approach/957372/117 "2022-02-16T20:58:57Z")
A couple of times, but on hard mode you have to use all available information with each guess, so no multiple eliminations with a single guess. I’ve gotten lucky each time. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2022, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-wordle-approach/957372/118 "2022-02-16T21:04:25Z")
> [@Mark\_Finn](#): > > How often do you reach a situation like this? With three guesses left, i have \_ATCH. Choices left to me are B, L, M, and P - as well as C and H (double letters already guessed once). I had this very scenario today, doing puzzle number 243, which most of the world will get tomorrow. If you luck out with a guess, well done, but I chose four wrong letters and failed. There were still a couple left outside of the right one, too, so it could’ve gone on for eight guesses. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2022, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-wordle-approach/957372/119 "2022-02-17T01:27:56Z")
Twice I have required six guesses, but fortunately there was only one answer possible for both of those. I read that the NYT removed a few words. Some like “wench” to be more politically correct. Some like “agora” perceived to be too hard. (The word is common enough, maybe, but a letter repeated thrice would be pretty tough.) ---
**Author:** ![Cugel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cugel/32/1199_2.png) [@Cugel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cugel)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2022, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-wordle-approach/957372/120 "2022-02-17T03:32:09Z")
I ran into this too for 243. three greens on first go, then a guessathon. Took five turns [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-wordle-approach/957372.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-wordle-approach/957372.md?page=7)