# "Wordle," a strangely compelling word game (Part 1) **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Tags:** board-card-word-game\ **Created:** [December 24, 2021, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604 "2021-12-24T21:12:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 110
**Author:** ![pjd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pjd/32/3009_2.png) [@pjd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pjd)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2022, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/2181 "2022-03-16T17:10:25Z")
Damn ! I’m a Failure. Wordle 270 X/6\* ⬜🟨🟨🟨⬜ ⬜🟩🟨⬜🟨 🟨🟩⬜⬜🟨 ⬜🟩⬜🟩🟩 ⬜🟩⬜🟩🟩 🟨🟩⬜🟩🟩 BEARD LARGE RAISE ← stupid boy. The E can’t be there ! WAFER PAPER TAMER ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2022, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/2182 "2022-03-16T17:36:29Z")
A surprisingly difficult one to finish. I got four correct letters in the wrong locations on my first guess. I placed them all in the right locations with my second guess. And then it took me three guesses to find the first letter. Those rhyming words can be a trap. ---
**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:** [March 16, 2022, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/2183 "2022-03-16T17:39:42Z")
Yeah you may have something there about not going aggressively for the vowels. A strategy I’ve considered is going after digraphs and trigraphs, instead of vowels. Some digraphs are: SH CH TH WH CK PH NG Some trigraphs are: NTH SCH SCR SHR SPL SPR SQU STR THR ---
**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, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/2184 "2022-03-16T17:49:50Z")
I like your thinking. ---
**Author:** ![eschrodinger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschrodinger/32/122_2.png) [@eschrodinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschrodinger)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2022, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/2185 "2022-03-16T17:50:27Z")
You couldn’t have had it in 3. One letter in your third guess was in a known wrong position. (Not intending to nit pick – I’ve done the same.) For my third guess, there were several possibilities, but I picked the one that was, in my view, the most common word. I think that needs to be factored in when you are missing only one letter and there are multiple possibilities. For those who were missing only the first letter, or like me, only the middle letter, I think there were far fewer likely answers than possible answers. ---
**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, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/2186 "2022-03-16T18:05:56Z")
> [@Bullitt](#): > > I needed to eliminate or isolate C (E) G H M (R) (T) and W. E R and T could be duplicated in the first spot. > > I tried MIGHT for the M G and H, and I got this: In rereading, this struck me as a tactical mistake. You had two research guesses and three possible dup letters that could only be checked in the first position. Each research guess should have used up one dup check. Better would have been EIGHT, leaving C, M, (R), (T), W. Then, uh, TWICE? No, actually, that wouldn’t be better. It still only checks 3 letters per word, leaving a 50-50 guess for your final try. Hmmm… ---
**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, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/2187 "2022-03-16T18:26:53Z")
…I would cheat a little: Cut down the list of possibles by applying meta knowledge, eliminating GATER (is that even a word?!) and MATER, and maybe also RATER as markedly less common than the rest. That leaves C (E) H (R) (T) W, which would be easy enough with two words. EARTH/TWICE comes to mind. ---
**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:** [March 16, 2022, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/2188 "2022-03-16T18:38:55Z")
Wordle 270 5/6 ⬜🟨🟨🟨🟨 🟨🟩🟩🟩⬜ ⬜🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬜🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 Toughie today after a good start. 3 tries on the first letter. HEART RATED LATER WATER CATER ---
**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:** [March 16, 2022, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/2189 "2022-03-16T19:59:47Z")
Meta knowledge…? ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2022, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/2190 "2022-03-16T20:03:08Z")
I’m another knocked out of my streak (46) and my 100% (farewell!) by #270: Wordle 270 X/6 ⬜🟨🟨🟨🟨 🟨🟨🟨🟨⬜ 🟨⬜🟩🟩🟩 ⬜🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬜🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬜🟩🟩🟩🟩 STARE TREAD AFTER LATER WATER HATER Ouch! ---
**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:** [March 16, 2022, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/2191 "2022-03-16T20:41:20Z")
Quite annoyed at tomorrow’s puzzle. Wordle 271 5/6 ⬜🟩⬜⬜🟩 ⬜🟩⬜⬜🟩 ⬜🟩⬜⬜🟩 🟨🟩🟨⬜🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ---
**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, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/2192 "2022-03-16T22:58:58Z")
> [@Bullitt](#): > > Meta knowledge…? Knowledge about the game from outside the game. We know from articles and news stories that answers aren’t plurals that end in s. We know the guess list is around 8000+ words but the answer list is only 2000+ because the author heavily curated it to make sure the answer words would all seem fair to his girlfriend, who he wrote it for. We also know that one analysis showed TRACE to be the optimal starting word. This is all meta knowledge. If you use the blurred word as your opener every day, you could say you’re β€˜playing the meta’ the same way if you roll up the flavor of the week overpowered build in an MMORPG, you’re said to be playing the meta. By contrast, I think CLAMP is the optimal starting word based on my experience playing the game, not by any formal analysis outside of it. ---
**Author:** ![Terminus\_Est](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terminus_est/32/3087_2.png) [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2022, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/2193 "2022-03-17T01:19:44Z")
**Tomorrow’s Wordle, Today** Wordle 271 6/6 ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜🟩⬜🟨⬜ ⬜🟩⬜⬜🟩 🟩🟩⬜⬜🟩 🟩🟩⬜🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 > **Wordle 271** > > CRASH > POLED > BOOZE > MONTE > MOXIE > MOVIE > > I don’t know why I went with my fifth choice rather than the more common word. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2022, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/2194 "2022-03-17T02:02:55Z")
> [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](#): > > It happened again ☹ > > Wordle 270 X/6\* > > β¬›πŸŸ¨πŸŸ¨πŸŸ¨πŸŸ¨ > πŸŸ¨πŸŸ©πŸŸ©πŸŸ©β¬› > β¬›πŸŸ©πŸŸ©πŸŸ©πŸŸ© > β¬›πŸŸ©πŸŸ©πŸŸ©πŸŸ© > β¬›πŸŸ©πŸŸ©πŸŸ©πŸŸ© > β¬›πŸŸ©πŸŸ©πŸŸ©πŸŸ© Exactly like mine. ---
**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 17, 2022, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/2195 "2022-03-17T03:51:34Z")
You are correct that none of those β€œATER” words are in the answer list. ---
**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:** [March 17, 2022, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/2196 "2022-03-17T04:25:10Z")
Did much better today (3) then yesterday (another of those, 6) - but still undefeated. And this one was harder? ---
**Author:** ![QMatic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/aeb1de/32.png) [@QMatic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QMatic)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2022, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/2197 "2022-03-17T04:33:03Z")
Wordle 271 4/6\* ⬜⬜🟨⬜⬜ ⬜⬜🟨🟨🟩 🟩🟨⬜⬜🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 SWEAT PRIME MINCE MOVIE Happy with a decent par after a short run of birdies. ---
**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 17, 2022, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/2198 "2022-03-17T04:46:39Z")
Wordle 271 4/6 β¬›β¬›β¬›πŸŸ¨β¬› β¬›β¬›πŸŸ¨β¬›πŸŸ¨ πŸŸ©πŸŸ©β¬›β¬›β¬› 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 CLAMP STORM MOUND MOVIE I saw a 5 and a 6 so I got scared and reused my top starter. After my two research guesses I still had no clue so I had to burn a third, which fortunately narrowed the choices down to one. At least, I could only find one. ---
**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 17, 2022, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/2199 "2022-03-17T04:51:54Z")
It was one of those words that I don’t consider β€œhard”, it just relies on getting lucky. Hard words are ones that are difficult to think of, they stretch your vocabulary. It was easy to come up with words that fit for today, whether you chose the correct one or not comes down to luck. ---
**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:** [March 17, 2022, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/2200 "2022-03-17T04:53:18Z")
Fair enough. Words that end in four letters with eight possible first letters, two of which could be repeated letters elsewhere in the word, are hard. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604.md?page=109) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604.md?page=111)