# "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:** 135
**Author:** ![Folly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folly/32/3219_2.png) [@Folly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folly)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2022, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/2681 "2022-04-04T04:51:06Z")
Well, at least it was quick… Wordle 289 5/6 ⬜🟨⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜🟩⬜⬜ ⬜🟨🟩⬜⬜ 🟩🟩🟩⬜🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 MANGE FRACK PLAID SHALL SHAWL ---
**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:** [April 4, 2022, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/2682 "2022-04-04T05:26:58Z")
Wordle 289 4/6 πŸŸ©β¬›β¬›πŸŸ¨β¬› πŸŸ©β¬›β¬›πŸŸ¨β¬› πŸŸ©πŸŸ©πŸŸ©β¬›β¬› 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 SCRAP STOLE SHADY SHAWL I’ve been tanking it lately but this one was noticably sloppy. First I didn’t reuse the A in my second word, then I didn’t reuse the L in my third. The first mistake didn’t hurt, but the second cost me an extra 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:** [April 4, 2022, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/2683 "2022-04-04T05:47:08Z")
I was going to post my scores after 60 but I had just posted a bunch of good scores in a row, so it felt like cherry picking. By contrast, my last 6 games I scored 4, 6, 3, 3, 6, 4. (Neat, it’s a palindrome.) Two 6s this week, ouch! So anyway, now feels like a better time for a score check. 68 games played, 100% 2: 4 3: 29 4: 22 5: 8 6: 5 2\*4 + 3\*29 + 4\*22 + 5\*8 + 6\*5 = 253 / 68 = 3.721 average I can’t believe I got two 6s this week. Just rough. ---
**Author:** ![GreenWyvern](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/greenwyvern/32/2834_2.png) [@GreenWyvern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenWyvern)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2022, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/2684 "2022-04-04T05:52:01Z")
Wordle 289 3/6\* 🟨🟨⬜⬜⬜ 🟩⬜🟩⬜🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ALTER SNAIL SHAWL ---
**Author:** ![QMatic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/aeb1de/32.png) [@QMatic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QMatic)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2022, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/2685 "2022-04-04T05:57:34Z")
Wordle 289 5/6\* ⬜🟩⬜⬜⬜ 🟩🟩🟩⬜⬜ 🟩🟩🟩⬜⬜ 🟩🟩🟩⬜🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 CHIDE SHAFT SHARP SHALL SHAWL ---
**Author:** ![GreenWyvern](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/greenwyvern/32/2834_2.png) [@GreenWyvern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenWyvern)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2022, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/2686 "2022-04-04T05:58:26Z")
> [@EllisDee](#): > > I’ve been tanking it lately but this one was noticably sloppy. First I didn’t reuse the A in my second word, then I didn’t reuse the L in my third. The first mistake didn’t hurt, but the second cost me an extra guess. That’s why playing in hard mode can be useful. It will stop and tell you if you haven’t used a letter. ---
**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:** [April 4, 2022, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/2687 "2022-04-04T07:14:31Z")
Wordle 289 5/6\* β¬›β¬›πŸŸ©β¬›πŸŸ¨ πŸŸ©β¬›πŸŸ©β¬›β¬› πŸŸ©β¬›πŸŸ©β¬›β¬› πŸŸ©πŸŸ©πŸŸ©β¬›β¬› 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 Well, a five is a lot better than a fail, so I’m more pleased than with the previous one. TEAMS SNACK SOAPY SHARD SHAWL ---
**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:** [April 4, 2022, 8:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/2688 "2022-04-04T08:41:17Z")
Wordle 289 5/6 πŸŸ¨β¬›β¬›β¬›β¬› πŸŸ¨β¬›β¬›β¬›πŸŸ¨ β¬›β¬›β¬›β¬›πŸŸ¨ πŸŸ©πŸŸ©πŸŸ©β¬›πŸŸ© 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 AIERY LOTUS MUNCH SHALL SHAWL ---
**Author:** ![SeaSun](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/seasun/32/14820_2.png) [@SeaSun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaSun)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2022, 10:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/2689 "2022-04-04T10:05:24Z")
> [@Author\_Balk](#): > > I used an anagram finder and found UPBOW. I was curious what it was and looked it up. So, now I know what it means. It’s a new word I learned with Wordle. In this case it narrowed it down to two words. I am surprised Wordle took that word…I believe it’s actually spelled with a dash in between = up-bow. At least when I looked it up, that’s how it was spelled. Makes me wonder how many five letter words have a dash (can’t think of any off top of my head, but Wordle could use them for the β€œword of the day” maybe). ---
**Author:** ![SeaSun](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/seasun/32/14820_2.png) [@SeaSun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaSun)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2022, 10:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/2690 "2022-04-04T10:12:32Z")
**Wordle 289 2/6** ⬜⬜🟩⬜🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 PEARL SHAWL Well howdy doo, I got it in two! That was a nice surprise. I had a few choices as to what to try, but the word it ended up being came to me first, and so that’s what I went with. Gut instinct wins again. πŸ™‚ ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2022, 11:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/2691 "2022-04-04T11:18:25Z")
Wordle 289 5/6 🟩⬜🟩⬜⬜ 🟩⬜🟩⬜⬜ 🟩⬜🟩🟨⬜ ⬜🟩⬜⬜🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 SPANK SMART SCALE GHOUL SHAWL I am glad I don’t play on hard mode because the funnest part of the game for me is finding a word in the midgame that uses none of the green letters. Even better if it also uses a yellow letter in a grey position so that every letter will give me more information. ---
**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:** [April 4, 2022, 11:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/2692 "2022-04-04T11:19:52Z")
Wordle 289 5/6 ⬜⬜🟩⬜⬜ 🟨⬜⬜⬜🟨 ⬜🟨🟩🟨🟨 🟩🟩🟩⬜🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 TRACE LIONS - Ignoring the green A, going for more letters FLASH - Had SHALL on the screen but changed my mind. I didn’t want to waste a space. But, after the result I realized I should have used SHALL SHALL - I thought I had it, but not quite. SHAWL ---
**Author:** ![Morgyn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morgyn/32/3041_2.png) [@Morgyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgyn)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2022, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/2693 "2022-04-04T11:56:51Z")
Wordle 289 6/6\* ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜🟨🟩🟨⬜ ⬜🟨🟩🟨⬜ 🟩🟩🟩⬜🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 I think I didn’t pick good words, and screwed up on the 4th one by again forgetting that I already knew those letters were in the wrong spot. QUERY TOPIC FLASK GLASS SHALL SHAWL ---
**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:** [April 4, 2022, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/2694 "2022-04-04T12:26:26Z")
Wordle 289 3/6\* β¬›β¬›β¬›β¬›πŸŸ¨ β¬›πŸŸ©πŸŸ©πŸŸ¨β¬› 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 Youth Chalk Shawl ---
**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:** [April 4, 2022, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/2695 "2022-04-04T12:55:14Z")
Wordle 289 4/6 🟨⬜🟩⬜⬜ 🟩🟩🟩⬜⬜ 🟩🟩🟩⬜🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 HEART SHADY SHALL SHAWL Harder than it should have been ---
**Author:** ![SunUp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@SunUp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SunUp)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2022, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/2696 "2022-04-04T13:19:32Z")
> **Wordle 289 4/6\* 4/4/2022** > > ⬜⬜🟨⬜⬜ > 🟨🟨⬜🟨⬜ > 🟩🟨🟩⬜⬜ > 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 > > FE_W_ER β†’ The only letter I hit on is the one I didn’t use yesterday… > _WA_I_S_T β†’ Is there an O or U? Let me check more consonants… > **S** _W_ **A** MP β†’ That narrows things down. If the W is fourth, it should be > **SHAWL** > > Getting the early W helped on this one, though I needed all four guesses to place it correctly. ---
**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:** [April 4, 2022, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/2697 "2022-04-04T14:39:33Z")
Wordle 289 4/6\* ⬜⬜🟩⬜⬜ ⬜🟨🟩⬜⬜ 🟨🟩🟩⬜⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 BEARD TWAIN WHACK SHAWL Splendid. ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2022, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/2698 "2022-04-04T14:48:57Z")
Wordle 289 3/6 πŸŸ¦β¬›β¬›πŸŸ¦β¬› πŸŸ§πŸŸ§β¬›πŸŸ¦πŸŸ§ 🟧🟧🟧🟧🟧 ARISE SHOAL SHAWL A somewhat lucky second guess. Didn’t we just have SHALL a short time ago? Usually I don’t much remember past words, but I was thinking about using SHALL in the third spot and then realized it was already used. So SHAWL it is. ---
**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:** [April 4, 2022, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/2699 "2022-04-04T19:52:03Z")
What are there, another couple thousand wordles? I don’t think it’s going to be realistic for me to change my opener every day over the long haul. I think I’m just going to stick with the CL and CR openers. I’ve got about a dozen of each; that’ll have to be good enough for the foreseeable future. I’ve been doing significantly worse with other openers. ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2022, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/2700 "2022-04-04T21:16:19Z")
Bah. Wordle outsmarts me again! Wordle 289 4/6\* β¬›β¬›πŸŸ©β¬›β¬› β¬›πŸŸ©πŸŸ©πŸŸ¨β¬› πŸŸ©πŸŸ©πŸŸ©β¬›πŸŸ© 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 IRATE CHALK SHALL SHAWL I had the correct word and would have tried it third, but I outsmarted myself, thinking, β€œWordle always uses double letters when I try for all different letters. I’ll do that instead.” Oops. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604.md?page=134) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604.md?page=136)