# "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:** 3
**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, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/41 "2021-12-26T15:12:05Z")
> [@StarvingButStrong](#): > > How about RATIO? Gets three of the vowels checked off. Getting vowels is good, but I thought maybe it would work better to have 5 common letters in positions where they commonly occur in words. The I and O in ratio are not often in those positions. But it’s also true that the optimal start is probably different depending whether your objective is to solve it as quickly as possible, or to never fail to solve it in the allowed number of guesses. ---
**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, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/42 "2021-12-26T15:28:30Z")
Tomorrow I think I’ll try starting with ADIEU to see if that’s in its word list and knock four vowels out. I suspect it’s possible to write some code to find the absolute best starting word that splits up the search tree well enough to yield a 2-guess solution pretty often and 3-guess path 100% of the time or nearly so. The words mentioned so far are good candidates for that word, but there might be a particular word that’s more likely to reveal letters in the correct placement as well as merely being somewhere in the solution. EDIT: ninja’d by Riemann, ---
**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, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/43 "2021-12-26T15:57:19Z")
> [@Riemann](#): > > the optimal start is probably different depending whether your objective is to solve it as quickly as possible, or to never fail to solve it in the allowed number of guesses I think the optimal start will turn out to be the same word for both objectives. ---
**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, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/44 "2021-12-26T16:19:37Z")
From Wheel of Fortune, in the final puzzle they give the contestant R S T L N and E. Because of that my starting word has always (well, for 3 days) been TREND. Maybe a better start word would be STERN. ---
**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, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/45 "2021-12-26T16:34:43Z")
Possibly so, but remember that Wheel of Fortune adds artificial constraints to restrict vowel guesses. I’m sure that final game allows just that single vowel to make things harder on purpose, not easier. ---
**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, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/46 "2021-12-26T17:37:20Z")
In addition, WoF answers aren’t just a five letter word without repeats. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2021, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/47 "2021-12-26T19:20:25Z")
> [@Riemann](#): > > 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? If you had repeated letters as an option, you would need more than 5 guesses. ---
**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 27, 2021, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/48 "2021-12-27T05:30:11Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > If you had repeated letters as an option, you would need more than 5 guesses Maybe more than 6. Today’s word had a repeated letter. If I’d known repeated letters were possible, I might not have gone down the garden path, but maybe I still would have. Today’s answer is FERRY. And here were my guesses that resulted in a loss: ADIEU RENTS PERCH DERBY JERKY GERMY I don’t like this game as much anymore. – That’s my post; hope you liked it! ---
**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 27, 2021, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/49 "2021-12-27T05:40:07Z")
And I just saw that I goofed and tried to reuse a letter that had already been ruled out. Oh well. I’m pretty sure that the next word I used after the goof would have been my next choice, regardless. But after the fifth word I might have been really stuck for what to try next. ---
**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 27, 2021, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/50 "2021-12-27T05:57:41Z")
> [@Ponderoid](#): > > Today’s answer is FERRY. > > And here were my guesses that resulted in a loss: > ADIEU > RENTS > PERCH > DERBY > JERKY > GERMY > > I don’t like this game as much anymore. > > – > That’s my post; hope you liked it! Here on the west coast I don’t have that word yet. It will change at midnight. I shouldn’t have revealed those spoilers! ---
**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:** [December 27, 2021, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/51 "2021-12-27T06:29:27Z")
My progress in today’s puzzle was slowed down because I didn’t know duplicate letters were allowed. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2021, 7:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/52 "2021-12-27T07:21:14Z")
^ same ---
**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 27, 2021, 8:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/53 "2021-12-27T08:39:01Z")
RATED SNORE EVERY BERRY MERRY FERRY After 3 guesses, it had to end -ERRY, and I felt stupid for first guessing BERRY when I realized it had to be the Christmas theme with MERRY…right? ---
**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 27, 2021, 11:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/54 "2021-12-27T11:36:59Z")
BRAKE RENTS MERGE HERTZ PERVY FERRY Disappointed that the answer was not PERVY I also tried LEROY mmm ---
**Author:** ![Zakalwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zakalwe/32/270_2.png) [@Zakalwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zakalwe)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2021, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/55 "2021-12-27T12:18:09Z")
SWEAT CHOIR PLUME BENDY JERKY—I really thought this was it. That left me with \_ER\_Y known and correct. Leaving QFGZXV as unused letters. I couldn’t make any of that work and realized there must be a repeated letter and got the correct answer from there. ---
**Author:** ![Icarus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icarus/32/72_2.png) [@Icarus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icarus)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2021, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/56 "2021-12-27T13:46:13Z")
Got it in 3 today! 1. **F** IGHT 2. **FE** A **R** S I got very lucky with my first and second guess, so when it came to the third guess it was somewhat obvious that there had to be a repeated letter. None of the other remaining letters in the alphabet worked in the third position of the word. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2021, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/57 "2021-12-27T15:24:00Z")
Same here - I had the last four letters after my first three words, then it took me three more turns to get the correct first letter. ☹ ---
**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 27, 2021, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/58 "2021-12-27T15:36:35Z")
> [@Ponderoid](#): > > Today’s word had a repeated letter. If I’d known repeated letters were possible, I might not have gone down the garden path, but maybe I still would have. That was the info I needed. I had about concluded that they must have screwed up, ETA I can’t seem to get a second spoiler in this post, so removing the rest of it instead. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2021, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/59 "2021-12-27T15:41:51Z")
I had guessed ferny before figuring out it was ferry. I don’t like the double letters. This UI is not set up to accommodate them. There should be another color if you guess a letter that has another space, like make it half green, half yellow so that you now that the letter is in the correct place but there should be another one in another space. When you guess a letter and it’s green, but it is supposed to appear again elsewhere, that’s extremely misleading. Either they need to indicate that situation better, or disallow words with repeated letters. ---
**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 27, 2021, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/60 "2021-12-27T16:00:01Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > Either they need to indicate that situation better, or disallow words with repeated letters. Agreed. I’m currently musing over how I will code this game myself in a different environment and I’m leaning toward the latter option. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604.md?page=4)