# "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:** 6
**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:** [December 30, 2021, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/101 "2021-12-30T01:49:01Z")
Split Aloud Tapir I wasn’t counting the word itself as a guess, since I knew what it was before I typed it…Is that not how it’s supposed to be done? ☹ ---
**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 30, 2021, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/102 "2021-12-30T02:17:05Z")
Three as well: SWE_AT_ CHO **IR** TAPIR Italics represent yellow letters. Bold is green. The answer was fairly obvious after those two. ---
**Author:** ![Isamu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7c8e57/32.png) [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2021, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/103 "2021-12-30T02:20:14Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > Select text that you want to spoiler. > > Look at the line of confusing symbols at the top of the reply window, and click on the one at the far right that’s probably supposed to look like a gear and indicate ‘tools’. > > That will bring up a list. Click on “blur spoiler”. Thank you! ---
**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 30, 2021, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/104 "2021-12-30T03:37:39Z")
> [@SenorBeef](#): > > How weird. I also got it in three today. I was thinking that was remarkable especially for an obscure word, but apparently other people also managed that feat. The 29th’s word happens to contain four of the more common letters used in English words, and most of us are starting our guesses using words with five, so it’s understandable in this case that our first try is almost guaranteed to do a better-than-average job at constraining future tries. If you were to play the “change one letter” game starting with today’s word, I think there’s only one common word you can get to from TAPIR and that common word contains “E” which many people eliminated on their first or second guess. ---
**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 30, 2021, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/105 "2021-12-30T04:01:42Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > Here is an article where a guy does an analysis to determine the best starting word according to arbitrary but reasonable criteria. Thanks for that link, hajario. So I read that entire article and it’s interesting that the author actually did the ultimate cheat of opening up the code to see what its future word choices will be. If you want to remain unspoiled, don’t do this yourself. 🙂 The article happened to definitively answer the question I already had about whether this game used separate lists for choosing each day’s target word and which words to allow as guesses, and the answer is, it does use separate lists. In my version of this game I’ve yet to actually start coding I had already decided to use a single word list, and there will be an option on whether the players will be allowed to play unlimited multiple games using completely random word choices, or have a similar global word-a-day restriction. One thing I thought of already that I think will be superior to this version we’re playing is the global setting will hash the date to decide what the current ‘random’ word number to pick from the list will be, rather than a simple day count. I definitely will not call my version “wordle” though. When I first saw this thread, I thought it was referring to this word visualization game which has been around for years: > **[Wordle](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wordle)** > > Wordle is a web-based word game created and developed by Welsh software engineer Josh Wardle. Players have six attempts to guess a five-letter word, with feedback given for each guess in the form of colored tiles indicating when letters match or occupy the correct position. The mechanics are similar to the 1955 pen-and-paper game Jotto and the television game show franchise Lingo. Wordle has a single daily solution, with all players attempting to guess the same word. > Wardle created the 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 30, 2021, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/106 "2021-12-30T05:33:49Z")
Got it in 3 on the 30th: REALS DRILL TROLL I predict a larger number of you getting this on the 2nd try. No, Discord, I couldn’t have included any of this in my earlier posts hours ago, nor am I allowed to go back and edit this in. Goodnight, everybody. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2021, 7:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/107 "2021-12-30T07:21:59Z")
Also got today’s in 3. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2021, 7:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/108 "2021-12-30T07:25:08Z")
Can we start referring to the number of the game, instead of the date? My “today’s” puzzle was no.193. ---
**Author:** ![Isamu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7c8e57/32.png) [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2021, 8:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/109 "2021-12-30T08:33:05Z")
RATIO TENOR TROLL ---
**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 30, 2021, 9:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/110 "2021-12-30T09:04:05Z")
I got it in 4. I don’t get a puzzle number on my phone. ---
**Author:** ![Staggerlee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/staggerlee/32/3134_2.png) [@Staggerlee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Staggerlee)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2021, 9:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/111 "2021-12-30T09:33:11Z")
My stats are pretty good - 4 out of 5 deduced, 2 of those in two guesses. I should stop now, and go out on a high. ---
**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 30, 2021, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/112 "2021-12-30T13:19:02Z")
4 today, my usual two, plus one that gave me the answer: SWEA_T_ CH **O** I_R_ **TRO** OP **TROLL** FYI, I’m on Chrome and I don’t see a puzzle number either. ---
**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 30, 2021, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/113 "2021-12-30T13:45:13Z")
If you want a slightly different challenge - in “hard” mode you would not be allowed to use your second guess there. You must incorporate all correct letters from prior guesses. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2021, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/114 "2021-12-30T13:51:50Z")
Mine today! I got it on the fourth try. TUBES TAPAS TORCH TROLL ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2021, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/115 "2021-12-30T14:04:34Z")
I failed today. Double letters really screw up my thinking process for some reason. ---
**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 30, 2021, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/116 "2021-12-30T14:09:49Z")
> [@Zakalwe](#): > > I’m on Chrome and I don’t see a puzzle number either. Hit the settings button (top right) and it’s in tiny print at the bottom right. ---
**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 30, 2021, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/117 "2021-12-30T15:28:39Z")
Oh okay I see it now. Thanks. I think it’s a bit obscure to be used here in discussions. ---
**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 30, 2021, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/118 "2021-12-30T15:46:12Z")
For the 30th: Adios Other Court Troll ---
**Author:** ![Hoopy\_Frood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hoopy_frood/32/8452_2.png) [@Hoopy\_Frood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hoopy_Frood)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2021, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/119 "2021-12-30T17:28:48Z")
My best attempt ever. First time I ever got it in two, and that’s on hard mode. Though, paradoxically, regular mode would have taken more steps because there’s more divide and conquer available with regular mode. I wouldn’t have picked the actual answer as my second word if I wasn’t compelled to use the yellow letters from the first word. SOARE TROLL ---
**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 30, 2021, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/120 "2021-12-30T20:02:02Z")
Good guess, @Hoopy_Frood. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604.md?page=7)