# "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:** 362
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2022, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/7221 "2022-11-08T19:26:24Z")
From the NYT: > Wordle’s gameplay will stay the same, and answers will be drawn from the same basic dictionary of answer words, with some editorial adjustments to ensure that the game stays focused on vocabulary that’s fun, accessible, lively and varied. > > The answer list will consist of five-letter words that fit those criteria, with the exception of plural forms of three- or four-letter words that end in “ES” or “S.” That is, the answer will never be FOXES or SPOTS, but it might be GEESE or FUNGI. I’d love to ask them about past tenses ending in ED, which have been notably absent from the list of solutions to date. ---
**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:** [November 8, 2022, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/7222 "2022-11-08T19:56:04Z")
Wordle 507 4/6\* ⬜🟨⬜⬜⬜ 🟩🟨⬜⬜🟨 🟩🟩🟩🟩⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 BEARD SLIME SPELT ← Bastard ! SPELL ---
**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:** [November 9, 2022, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/7223 "2022-11-09T00:20:39Z")
Wordle 507 3/6\* 🟨🟨⬛🟨⬛ 🟨🟨⬛🟨⬛ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 Leapt Plier spell ---
**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:** [November 9, 2022, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/7224 "2022-11-09T02:13:48Z")
Wordle 507 6/6\* 🟩⬜🟨🟨⬜ 🟩🟨⬜⬜🟨 🟩⬜🟩🟩🟩 🟩⬜🟩🟩🟩 🟩⬜🟩🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 SALET SLIDE SWELL SHELL SMELL SPELL Bah humbug on the 6! I see I wasn’t the only one to fall into the S\_ELL trap. By the 4th turn I saw that there were 3 possible solutions and for some reason decided to guess in alphabetical order which obviously didn’t work well. ---
**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:** [November 9, 2022, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/7225 "2022-11-09T05:14:47Z")
Wordle 508 5/6 ⬛⬛🟨⬛⬛ ⬛🟩⬛⬛🟨 ⬛🟩🟨⬛🟩 ⬛🟩🟩🟨🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 CLASP TAMER HARDY FAIRY RAINY I really thought I had stumbled into an unintentionally awesome trap bypass with hardy. I didn’t notice until after I guessed, but it eliminated both hairy and dairy, leaving fairy as the obvious answer. Obviously wrong answer, that is! heh. Wordle got me good today. ---
**Author:** ![psychobunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/54ee81/32.png) [@psychobunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychobunny)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2022, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/7226 "2022-11-09T05:52:12Z")
Wordle 508 2/6 🟩🟩⬜🟨⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 RATIO RAINY I can’t remember ever getting it in two before although my stats say this is the seventh time. ---
**Author:** ![Newtosite](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/newtosite/32/8623_2.png) [@Newtosite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Newtosite)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2022, 8:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/7227 "2022-11-09T08:14:55Z")
Wordle 508 3/6 ⬜⬜🟨🟩⬜ ⬜🟩⬜🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 Slant Fanny Rainy ---
**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:** [November 9, 2022, 10:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/7228 "2022-11-09T10:44:42Z")
Wordle 508 3/6\* ⬜⬜🟨🟨⬜ 🟩🟩🟨⬜⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 BEARD RANCH RAINY ---
**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:** [November 9, 2022, 11:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/7229 "2022-11-09T11:03:37Z")
Wordle 508 2/6 ⬜🟨🟨🟩⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 NYT changed the order of the answer words and gave me a 2 word today. Thank you. CRANE RAINY - I think the only possible word. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2022, 11:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/7230 "2022-11-09T11:21:29Z")
Wordle 508 3/6 SL_A_ **N** T CHO_R_E **RAINY** Took me awhile to see it for some reason. I think it was the only possible choice. ---
**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:** [November 9, 2022, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/7231 "2022-11-09T13:04:35Z")
Wordle 508 4/6 ⬜⬜🟨🟨⬜ ⬜🟩⬜⬜🟨 🟩🟩🟩🟩⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 HEART VAPOR RAINS RAINY ---
**Author:** ![chiliwillybing](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chiliwillybing/32/12394_2.png) [@chiliwillybing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiliwillybing)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2022, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/7232 "2022-11-09T13:19:24Z")
Wordle 508 2/6 🟩🟩🟩⬜⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 got lucky today RAISE RAINY ---
**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:** [November 9, 2022, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/7233 "2022-11-09T15:44:48Z")
Wordle 508 3/6 🟦⬛⬛🟧⬛ ⬛🟧🟧🟧⬛ 🟧🟧🟧🟧🟧 ALONE FAINT RAINY Not a lot of \_AIN\_ words that don’t end in T. One, in fact. ---
**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:** [November 9, 2022, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/7234 "2022-11-09T16:04:32Z")
Wordle 508 3/6 ⬛🟩🟨⬛⬛ ⬛🟨⬛🟩⬛ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 EARTH LIONS RAINY ---
**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:** [November 9, 2022, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/7235 "2022-11-09T16:06:40Z")
Several do end not with T but with S. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2022, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/7236 "2022-11-09T16:13:36Z")
[True.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game/956604/7221) ---
**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:** [November 9, 2022, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/7237 "2022-11-09T16:18:11Z")
Wordle 508 2/6 ⬜🟨🟨🟩⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 CRANE RAINY [quote=“Author\_Balk, post:7229, topic:956604”] RAINY - I think the only possible word. [/quote]: Actually, Wordlebot gave words ending in “s” as options ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2022, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/7238 "2022-11-09T16:32:03Z")
> Actually, Wordlebot gave words ending in “s” as options Maybe they haven’t updated Wordlebot yet to conform with stated NYT policies. ---
**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:** [November 9, 2022, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/7239 "2022-11-09T16:54:40Z")
Surely present tense verbs are valid, yes? eg: It **pains** me to say that as a verb it’s okay. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2022, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/7240 "2022-11-09T17:26:00Z")
Good point. (I’ll admit I was thinking just of plurals. Oops.) We haven’t seen any such verbs yet, so after \>500 solutions, I have to assume the absence of the class of words you mention was intentional. But now that the game is under new management, so to speak, there’s no guarantee that that intent will remain. We could start seeing such verbs. I have no idea whether there’s a forum where such questions could be asked of Ms. Bennett (I don’t know if she’s on Twitter, for instance), but that’s the sort of question I’d like to ask her. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604.md?page=361) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604.md?page=363)