# "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:** 375
**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 22, 2022, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/7481 "2022-11-22T14:46:07Z")
Wordle 521 3/6 🟨⬜🟩⬜🟩 🟩🟩🟩⬜🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 RAISE PRIZE PRIME ---
**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 22, 2022, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/7482 "2022-11-22T15:46:03Z")
Wordle 521 4/6 β¬›πŸŸ¦πŸŸ¦πŸŸ¦β¬› β¬›πŸŸ§πŸŸ§πŸŸ¦πŸŸ§ πŸŸ¦πŸŸ¦β¬›πŸŸ¦β¬› 🟧🟧🟧🟧🟧 OPERA GRIPE MEDIC PRIME I chose a guaranteed four over a 1-in-4 shot at a three. PRIME was my second choice (I had them listed as PRIDE, PRIME, PRICE, and PRIZE, in that order) so it would have been a four anyway if I’d stayed in hard mode. ---
**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 22, 2022, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/7483 "2022-11-22T15:58:40Z")
Wordle 521 4/6\* ⬜🟨⬜🟨⬜ ⬜🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬜🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 BEARD GRIME ← !! CRIME ← Bastard ! PRIME ---
**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:** [November 22, 2022, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/7484 "2022-11-22T18:00:35Z")
Good grief. Sometimes it’s harder to guess when you have 4 letters than when you have 2 or 3. Wordle 521 6/6\* 🟨🟨⬜🟨⬜ ⬜⬜🟩🟨🟩 ⬜🟩🟩⬜🟩 ⬜🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬜🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 RIVET SHIRE BRINE GRIME CRIME PRIME ---
**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:** [November 22, 2022, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/7485 "2022-11-22T18:05:04Z")
This one _could_ have been a 3 if I’d follow through with checking words on the β€˜Already Used’ list, which I always mean to do but rarely _actually_ do. Wordle 521 4/6\* πŸŸ¨πŸŸ©β¬›β¬›πŸŸ© πŸŸ©πŸŸ©πŸŸ©β¬›πŸŸ© πŸŸ©πŸŸ©πŸŸ©β¬›πŸŸ© 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 IRATE PRIDE PRIZE PRIME PRIDE was already used, I belatedly learned. I did also see PRICE, but I don’t usually go alphabetical. It could have gone worse. ---
**Author:** ![SunUp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@SunUp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SunUp)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2022, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/7486 "2022-11-22T21:55:46Z")
> **Wordle 521 2/6\* 11/22/2022** > > ⬜⬜🟩⬜🟨 > 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 > > AX **I** O_M_ β†’ OK, with that M, try an -IME ending. CHIME? or… > **PRIME** > > That was one lucky guess. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2022, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/7487 "2022-11-22T23:57:36Z")
Wordle 521 4/6 ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜🟨⬜🟨⬜ ⬜⬜🟨🟨🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 SLANT VIDEO EERIE PRIME EERIE was a shot in the dark–didn’t test many letters but I figure they’re going to spring it on us eventually. After that I strongly suspected a β€œ\_RI\_E” word and found CRIME, PRICE, and PRIME most likely. PRIME, if wrong, would have eliminated the other two so it was the logical guess at that point. ---
**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 23, 2022, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/7488 "2022-11-23T05:06:47Z")
**Wednesday, November 23rd** Wordle 522 4/6 β¬›πŸŸ©πŸŸ©β¬›β¬› β¬›πŸŸ©πŸŸ©β¬›πŸŸ© β¬›πŸŸ©πŸŸ©πŸŸ¨πŸŸ© 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 CRITS GRIPE BRIDE DRIVE Same trap, different day. ---
**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:** [November 23, 2022, 6:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/7489 "2022-11-23T06:42:48Z")
**Wordle 521 4/6** ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟩 🟩🟩🟩⬜🟩 🟩🟩🟩⬜🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 STALE PRIDE PRICE PRIME Lucky second word, but then it was just a matter of rolling the dice, but didn’t get lucky this time…so an average 4 it is, which I’ll gladly take. > [@Aspenglow](#): > > This one _could_ have been a 3 if I’d follow through with checking words on the β€˜Already Used’ list, which I always mean to do but rarely _actually_ do. Same! I didn’t check to see if pride was used, but I don’t usually check the used word list on my second word…wish I had. Though I did remember prize already being a word, so that helped. > [@RTFirefly](#): > > Rounding. One loss in 200+ games gives an unrounded percentage that’s closer to 100% than 99%, so it gets rounded up. Oh ok…that makes sense. Thanks! πŸ™‚ ---
**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 23, 2022, 8:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/7490 "2022-11-23T08:07:56Z")
Wordle 522 3/6 ⬜⬜⬜🟨🟨 ⬜🟩🟩🟨🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 Taser Bride Drive How did I get so lucky with my second word?!! ---
**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 23, 2022, 8:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/7491 "2022-11-23T08:12:20Z")
Wordle 522 5/6 πŸŸ¨β¬›πŸŸ¨β¬›β¬› β¬›πŸŸ¨β¬›β¬›β¬› πŸŸ©β¬›β¬›β¬›β¬› πŸŸ©πŸŸ©πŸŸ©πŸŸ¨β¬› 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 EARTH LIONS DUMPY DRIED DRIVE ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2022, 11:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/7492 "2022-11-23T11:02:32Z")
OK, I’m gonna stop complaining now that it’s gotten too easy. πŸ˜† Wordle 522 5/6 SLANT CHO_R_ **E** G_I_MPY B **RI** _D_ **E** **DRIVE** Anyway, this was my 300th game, so some stats: First 100 games: 417 guesses, average 4.17 guesses per game Second 100 games: 385 guesses, average 3.85 In the third 100 games, my 32nd game was PARER, my only loss. To avoid the question of how to average that in, I’m just doing pre- and post-PARER. First 31 games of third 100: 114 guesses, average 3.68 Last 68 games of third 100: 241 guesses, average 3.54 I seem to be getting better at this over time. πŸ™‚ I figure this progression won’t continue, there’s surely some sort of asymptote ahead. Getting 3 or better depends on getting enough information from your first 2 words to nail it on the 3rd guess, and a lot of the time that’s just not going to happen. ---
**Author:** ![psychobunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/54ee81/32.png) [@psychobunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychobunny)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2022, 11:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/7493 "2022-11-23T11:03:43Z")
Wordle 522 5/6 🟨⬜⬜🟨⬜ ⬜🟨⬜🟨🟨 ⬜🟩🟩⬜🟩 ⬜🟩🟩🟨🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 RATIO LINER GRIPE BRIDE DRIVE This was just cruel. The same trap two days in a row. ---
**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 23, 2022, 11:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/7494 "2022-11-23T11:12:28Z")
Wordle 522 3/6 ⬜🟩⬜⬜🟩 ⬜🟨🟨⬜⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ]So, they had MEDAL on Veteran’s Day and DRIVE on the day before Thanksgiving, which could be the busiest travel day of the year. What are the odds that tomorrow’s day is somehow related to Thanksgiving? CRANE PIVOT - same first 2 words as yesterday. Yesterday it gave the PRI\_E and today it gives the \_RIVE DRIVE. ---
**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 23, 2022, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/7495 "2022-11-23T12:18:35Z")
Wordle 522 3/6 🟨🟨🟨⬜⬜ ⬜⬜🟩🟨🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 Lucky starter today IDEAL CHIDE DRIVE ---
**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 23, 2022, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/7496 "2022-11-23T13:01:33Z")
😲 Wordle 522 2/6\* ⬜🟨⬜🟨🟨 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 BEARD DRIVE Took about 10 seconds. Ok, i’ll admit that some luck was involved ! ---
**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 23, 2022, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/7497 "2022-11-23T13:08:45Z")
Wordle 522 5/6 ⬜🟨⬜🟨⬜ ⬜🟩🟨⬜⬜ ⬜🟩🟩🟨⬜ ⬜🟩🟩⬜🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 HEART PRESS BRIEF CRIME DRIVE ---
**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 23, 2022, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/7498 "2022-11-23T15:27:27Z")
Wordle 522 4/6 - Too many choices for the solved letters ⬜🟩⬜⬜🟩 ⬜🟩⬜⬜🟩 ⬜🟩⬜⬜🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 CRANE BRUTE GROPE - This was a good choice, as it narrowed it to two possibles DRIVE ---
**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 23, 2022, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/7499 "2022-11-23T15:51:08Z")
Wordle 522 3/6 β¬›β¬›πŸŸ¦πŸŸ¦β¬› πŸŸ§πŸŸ¦β¬›β¬›β¬› 🟧🟧🟧🟧🟧 AUDIT DINGO DRIVE I was still just trying to place vowels and thought I got super lucky. After checking Scoredle, though, I saw that there were surprisingly few choices left after DINGO. (There were 17 words, but I’d say only about 4 or 5 of them were possible Wordle answers. DRIVE was the most common, probably followed by DRILL.) So a little luck, but not as much as I thought. Edit: **SunUp** ’s day should be interesting. 😁 ---
**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:** [November 23, 2022, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/7500 "2022-11-23T16:05:45Z")
Back to a 3. Wordle 522 3/6\* πŸŸ¨πŸŸ©β¬›β¬›πŸŸ© β¬›πŸŸ©πŸŸ©πŸŸ¨πŸŸ© 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 IRATE BRIDE DRIVE BRIDE was a lucky try. It gave me the β€˜D’, and the β€˜D’ could only go in the first position. There was no other word but DRIVE. > [@Author\_Balk](#): > > So, they had MEDAL on Veteran’s Day and DRIVE on the day before Thanksgiving, which could be the busiest travel day of the year. What are the odds that tomorrow’s day is somehow related to Thanksgiving? Bet you’re right. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604.md?page=374) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604.md?page=376)