# "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:** 2
**Author:** ![CardboardBoxx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardboardboxx/32/7079_2.png) [@CardboardBoxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CardboardBoxx)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2021, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/21 "2021-12-25T13:23:12Z")
Every word attempt needs to be a valid word in its own right. ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Mouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mighty_mouse/32/7776_2.png) [@Mighty\_Mouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Mouse)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2021, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/22 "2021-12-25T13:23:29Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > I am having trouble playing this. I enter 5 random letters and always get “not in word list” notification. The five letters must spell out an actual word. ---
**Author:** ![Briny\_Deep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/briny_deep/32/17188_2.png) [@Briny\_Deep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Briny_Deep)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2021, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/23 "2021-12-25T13:33:02Z")
Solved today’s by the skin of my teeth. Many internal rules are yet to be revealed, I’m sure – for example I tried a proper name, a very common one, and it wasn’t on the list. (At that point you need to use the delete or backspace key to clear the bad word.) Also tried using some double letters, one of which was in the word; the game’s response was to highlight in green or yellow only one of the doubles, not both. I’ll go ahead and reveal that today’s answer does not contain a double letter, so I don’t know how the game will behave when that is the case, if it ever is. I recommend Hard Mode in the settings, which forces you to use the hints you’ve been given (which ought to be the strategy anyway). When I tripped up and re-used a letter already proved not in the puzzle, though, it let me do that even in Hard Mode. ---
**Author:** ![MoonMoon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moonmoon/32/2959_2.png) [@MoonMoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MoonMoon)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2021, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/24 "2021-12-25T13:42:18Z")
> [@CardboardBoxx](#): > > E This and hitting enter (which is frustratingly on the left side!) will allow you to advance, @Mean_Mr.Mustard. I was feeling a bit cocky after yesterday, but my first two attempts yielded no valid letters today, and it took 4 tries total. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2021, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/25 "2021-12-25T14:07:00Z")
> [@Briny\_Deep](#): > > Also tried using some double letters, one of which was in the word; the game’s response was to highlight in green or yellow only one of the doubles, not both. Wouldn’t it be odd if it highlighted both, unless there were two of that letter in the solution? ---
**Author:** ![Briny\_Deep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/briny_deep/32/17188_2.png) [@Briny\_Deep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Briny_Deep)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2021, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/26 "2021-12-25T14:45:18Z")
Suppose the word is “kudos” and I type “duped.” I might expect both D’s to be highlighted yellow, because that letter is present, and where I positioned them, neither is more correct than the other. Turns out it doesn’t work that way, true, but it might have. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2021, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/27 "2021-12-25T14:58:06Z")
You were expecting that it might give you the same response regardless of how many d’s were in the solution? That would be very odd. ---
**Author:** ![Briny\_Deep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/briny_deep/32/17188_2.png) [@Briny\_Deep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Briny_Deep)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2021, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/28 "2021-12-25T15:32:21Z")
Well ok then, thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2021, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/29 "2021-12-25T15:38:41Z")
> [@Mighty\_Mouse](#): > > > [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > > > I am having trouble playing this. I enter 5 random letters and always get “not in word list” notification. > > The five letters must spell out an actual word. This was my problem. Thanks, @Mighty_Mouse! ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2021, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/30 "2021-12-25T16:40:48Z")
Third try yesterday. Couldn’t get today’s; probably at least in part because I kept thinking of double-letter possible solutions. Maybe I’m less awake right now. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2021, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/31 "2021-12-25T23:19:49Z")
I thought the hint it gave yesterday was related to the actual word, with it giving W as the first letter, but they used that same example today so I guess it was just lucky that yesterday’s word happened to actually start with W. ---
**Author:** ![OldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3bc359/32.png) [@OldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldGuy)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2021, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/32 "2021-12-26T01:35:19Z")
There’s a pretty good way to almost always win, but not necessarily win quickly. The four words BLACK FRIED GHOST JUMPY contain 20 of the 26 letters and all the vowels. So in four guesses you’ll probably have all the letters and certainly all the vowels. If you don’t have all five, the missing letters are NQVWXZ, and a guess of VIXEN covers three of those 6. You’ll very likely be able to get the word in the 6th guess. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2021, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/33 "2021-12-26T02:17:53Z")
If you switch on “hard” mode you cannot do that. You must include correct letters in the next guess. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2021, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/34 "2021-12-26T05:10:58Z")
Today: MUNCH CLUED COUPE ACUTE (Correct) It’s a great game. ---
**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:** [December 26, 2021, 8:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/35 "2021-12-26T08:16:35Z")
Today — TREND EIGHT LEFTY PASTE ABATE ACUTE (correct) Yes it’s a fun game. ---
**Author:** ![Ponderoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponderoid/32/19221_2.png) [@Ponderoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponderoid)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2021, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/36 "2021-12-26T14:26:34Z")
Today I went: SHUNT TRUCK ACUTE I’m using hard mode. So far the word TRAIN seems to be the best starting word to help pare down things going forward. Is there is a better word that Uses 5 of the most common letters ETAOIN SHRDLU? ---
**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:** [December 26, 2021, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/37 "2021-12-26T14:37:51Z")
I think RATES might be better. ---
**Author:** ![StarvingButStrong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/starvingbutstrong/32/335_2.png) [@StarvingButStrong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StarvingButStrong)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2021, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/38 "2021-12-26T14:39:44Z")
How about RATIO? Gets three of the vowels checked off. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2021, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/39 "2021-12-26T14:42:33Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > I think RATES might be better. That’s funny, I have been using RATED. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2021, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/40 "2021-12-26T14:45:10Z")
None of the 3 solutions I’ve seen so far has had a repeated letter. Has anyone been playing longer to know if that’s always the case? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604.md?page=3)