# "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:** 258
**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:** [July 27, 2022, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/5141 "2022-07-27T02:23:19Z")
**Tomorrow’s Wordle, Today** After three guesses with only a measly two yellows, I was resigned for another strike out. But then I remembered the Boy Scouts. Wordle 403 4/6 ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟨 ⬜🟨⬜🟨⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 > **Wordle 403** > > BREAK > LIGHT > STUMP > MOTTO ---
**Author:** ![SunUp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@SunUp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SunUp)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2022, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/5142 "2022-07-27T03:55:02Z")
> **Wordle 402 5/6\* July 26, 2022** > > ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ > ⬜🟨🟨⬜⬜ > 🟨⬜⬜🟨⬜ > ⬜🟩🟨🟨⬜ > 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 > > ELOPE → Strikeout on the opener > S_HI_RT → Not the hits I was expecting… > _H_UM_I_D → At least I’m taking out a lot of consonants > V **I** _CH_Y → Still haven’t tried an N. If it’s ?INCH, I may have a trap… > CINCH > > Trying the repeated letter worked out for me this time. ---
**Author:** ![SunUp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@SunUp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SunUp)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2022, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/5143 "2022-07-27T04:01:16Z")
Wordlebot points out that the guess you made was the best in this case, with but one solution left. But if the solution was a _different_ word, you would have had more different possibilities remaining by guessing what you did (PLUME) than by what it suggested (BIPOD or BINGO). And on 69 percent of actual solutions, its suggestions would have left fewer remaining words than your guess did. So Wordlebot is playing the percentages, but acknowledging that the overall lower-percentage play was - in this case - the better play. ---
**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:** [July 27, 2022, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/5144 "2022-07-27T04:08:11Z")
Wordle 403 4/6 ⬛⬛🟨⬛⬛ 🟨⬛⬛🟨⬛ 🟩🟩⬛🟩⬛ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 CLOPS TENOR MOUTH MOTTO I really didn’t have much to work with after my two research guesses, so I halfway did a third research guess specifically to check M. I’ll gladly take the 4 on this double-double horror show. ---
**Author:** ![psychobunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/54ee81/32.png) [@psychobunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychobunny)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2022, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/5145 "2022-07-27T04:08:22Z")
Wordle 403 3/6 ⬜⬜🟩⬜🟩 🟨⬜🟩⬜🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 RATIO OUTGO MOTTO I think I broke the curse! No traps, no sixes, only a little thinking required to get the answer. ---
**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:** [July 27, 2022, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/5146 "2022-07-27T04:10:14Z")
Thank you for this explanation. ---
**Author:** ![gkster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gkster/32/14107_2.png) [@gkster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gkster)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2022, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/5147 "2022-07-27T04:44:09Z")
> [@SunUp](#): > > Wordlebot points out that the guess you made was the best in this case, with but one solution left. But if the solution was a _different_ word, you would have had more different possibilities remaining by guessing what you did (PLUME) than by what it suggested (BIPOD or BINGO). And on 69 percent of actual solutions, its suggestions would have left fewer remaining words than your guess did. > > So Wordlebot is playing the percentages, but acknowledging that the overall lower-percentage play was - in this case - the better play. Oh, I see now, thanks. I didn’t realize that WordleBot was calculating percentages “if the solution was a different word”. ---
**Author:** ![QMatic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/aeb1de/32.png) [@QMatic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QMatic)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2022, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/5148 "2022-07-27T05:42:47Z")
Wordle 403 5/6\* ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟩 ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟩 ⬜⬜⬜🟩🟩 ⬜🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 BANJO CURIO PESTO LOTTO MOTTO Almost but not quite a pleasing pattern. If I had only the last three correct on guess 4 it would have been a fibonacci sequence. Disappointing. ---
**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:** [July 27, 2022, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/5149 "2022-07-27T06:31:58Z")
**Wordle 402 5/6** ⬜🟨🟨⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜🟨🟨 🟨🟩⬜⬜⬜ ⬜🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ANISE LOGIN NIFTY PINCH CINCH Was a tough one for me today…the N and I were being stubborn. Then I was so sure Pinch was going to be the word, but nope. Had two choices from there (Cinch and Winch), and thankfully I chose correctly and avoided getting a “phew”. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2022, 9:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/5150 "2022-07-27T09:38:25Z")
> [@Terminus\_Est](#): > > But then I remembered the Boy Scouts. Let’s see: a Scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent. Nope, not getting anything. “Do a good turn every day”? Nope, not that either. 😉 What I want to know is, _what’s all this stuff still doing in my brain_, when I haven’t been a Scout for 55 years?! ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2022, 9:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/5151 "2022-07-27T09:43:02Z")
> [@SeaSun](#): > > the N and I were being stubborn Of course they were. _Ni! Ni! Ni!_ ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2022, 10:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/5152 "2022-07-27T10:22:40Z")
#403 4/6 SLANT CHORE DUMPY MOTTO After three guesses, I had the M, O, and T, but none in their correct positions. So I’m doing something like this on pen and paper: MOT\_\_ MO\_T\_ M\_TO\_ M\_T\_O M\_\_TO and by that point, in this case anyway, the solution just kinda jumps out at you. Oh, and “Do a good turn every day,” which I mentioned earlier, is the Scout _slogan_. I’ll let Tom Lehrer tell you about their _[motto](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTRHv1I0xig)_. ---
**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:** [July 27, 2022, 10:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/5153 "2022-07-27T10:53:23Z")
Wordle 403 6/6\* ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟨 ⬜🟨🟨⬜⬜ 🟨🟩⬜⬜⬜ 🟩🟩⬜🟩⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 BEARD QUILT STOCK TOFFY MONTH MOTTO Back to the phewness. ---
**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:** [July 27, 2022, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/5154 "2022-07-27T12:00:58Z")
Wordle 403 4/6 ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟨 🟨🟩⬜⬜⬜ ⬜🟩⬜🟩⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 HEART TOILS POUTY MOTTO ---
**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:** [July 27, 2022, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/5155 "2022-07-27T12:21:01Z")
Wordle 403 3/6\* ⬛⬛🟩⬛⬛ ⬛🟩🟩🟩⬛ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 Lathe Potty Motto ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2022, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/5156 "2022-07-27T12:32:43Z")
Wordle 403 3/6 🟨⬜🟩⬜⬜ ⬜⬜🟩🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 OATEN DITTO MOTTO ---
**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:** [July 27, 2022, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/5157 "2022-07-27T13:43:52Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > Of course they were. _Ni! Ni! Ni!_ Well, I really shouldn’t be playing so late at Knight. 😉 ---
**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:** [July 27, 2022, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/5158 "2022-07-27T14:21:33Z")
A tricky one today. Wordle 403 6/6 ⬛⬛⬛🟩⬛ ⬛⬛🟨⬛⬛ ⬛⬛🟨⬛⬛ ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ ⬛⬛⬛🟨⬛ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 EARTH LIONS DUMPY WHACK BEFOG MOTTO ---
**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:** [July 27, 2022, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/5159 "2022-07-27T14:27:33Z")
Wordle 403 4/6 ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ ⬛⬛🟦⬛⬛ ⬛🟧🟧⬛⬛ 🟧🟧🟧🟧🟧 ANISE PROUD BOTCH MOTTO I don’t think I had any options left except the correct one. But I made it harder than it really was. So hesitant was I to plop down a double-double at four that I typed out MOTTO and erased it _three times_, thinking there’s _got_ to be something else. When I couldn’t find anything else I went for it, still fearing the worst. Double-doubles suck. ---
**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:** [July 27, 2022, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/5160 "2022-07-27T16:20:29Z")
I agree, very tricky. Wordle 403 4/6\* ⬛⬛⬛🟩⬛ ⬛⬛🟨🟩⬛ ⬛🟩⬛🟩⬛ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 IRATE CLOTH POUTY MOTTO My first 3 tries eliminated all but the correct answer (again). But it took me _forever_ to work out the actual answer!! Me no likey. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604.md?page=257) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604.md?page=259)