# "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:** 76
**Author:** ![SoToasty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sotoasty/32/2803_2.png) [@SoToasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SoToasty)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2022, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/1501 "2022-02-19T12:54:56Z")
Wordle 245 5/6\* 🟩⬜⬜⬜⬜ 🟩⬜⬜⬜⬜ 🟩⬜🟩🟩🟩 🟩⬜🟩🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ---
**Author:** ![raventhief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/raventhief/32/4_2.png) [@raventhief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raventhief)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2022, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/1502 "2022-02-19T13:01:11Z")
Wordle 245 5/6 ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜🟨⬜⬜🟨 🟩⬜⬜⬜⬜ 🟩🟩🟩⬜⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2022, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/1503 "2022-02-19T13:01:38Z")
Wordle 245 5/6 ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ β¬›β¬›πŸŸ©πŸŸ©β¬› β¬›β¬›πŸŸ©πŸŸ©πŸŸ© β¬›β¬›πŸŸ©πŸŸ©πŸŸ© 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 I did go for the even more uncommon QUILL TOPER DAILY CHILL QUILL SWILL ---
**Author:** ![Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiendish_astronaut/32/3295_2.png) [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiendish_Astronaut)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2022, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/1504 "2022-02-19T13:15:52Z")
Started to get worried today… Wordle 245 5/6 β¬›β¬›β¬›πŸŸ¨β¬› πŸŸ©β¬›πŸŸ©β¬›β¬› πŸŸ©β¬›πŸŸ©β¬›β¬› πŸŸ©β¬›πŸŸ©β¬›β¬› 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 COAST SPIRE SHINY SKIDS SWILL ---
**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:** [February 19, 2022, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/1505 "2022-02-19T14:16:53Z")
Wordle 245 4/6 β¬›β¬›β¬›πŸŸ¨β¬› πŸŸ©πŸŸ¨β¬›β¬›β¬› πŸŸ©β¬›πŸŸ©β¬›β¬› 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 Fast one today. Still haven’t gotten it in one or six. ---
**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:** [February 19, 2022, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/1506 "2022-02-19T15:07:11Z")
> [@chela](#): > > Still haven’t gotten it in one or six. Nice! No sixes is impressive. Ones are pure luck; irrelevant noise in the stats. Two’s are mostly luck but some skill is usually involved. Now I’m curious what my stats are at this point. It’s been a couple/few weeks since I last posted them. Let’s see.. 1:0 2:1 3:7 4:8 5:6 6:3 (25 games played, 25 games solved.) I got those three sixes early but then have avoided them ever since. I think. My average is currently 4.12, but I think it’s gradually trending downward. It feels to me like my current average is around 3.85 if you ignore my first week playing. ---
**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:** [February 19, 2022, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/1507 "2022-02-19T15:11:29Z")
> [@Bullitt](#): > > @Aspenglow, I think we usually start with the same word, IRATE. I’m curious to see how yours went. I started with IRATE today as well. Wordle 245 4/6 πŸŸ¦β¬›β¬›β¬›β¬› β¬›β¬›πŸŸ§β¬›β¬› πŸŸ§πŸŸ§πŸŸ§β¬›β¬› 🟧🟧🟧🟧🟧 IRATE CHIMP SWING SWILL Really thought I had it in three, and I was stumped for a minute or two there. Fortunately, I already had the W in place. ---
**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:** [February 19, 2022, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/1508 "2022-02-19T15:12:06Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > Good thing i didn’t think of SPILL. (SKILL was impossible.) You probably would have still been good, since you already knew the answer had a W in it. Though I have been in that situation before and spaced a letter like that, so safest is definitely to just not think of it. heh. EDIT: Case in point: > [@Wheelz](#): > > Really thought I had it in three There was a chance in that you had already eliminated T. EDIT: (S/he mistakenly wrote SWIFT instead of SWING.) ---
**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:** [February 19, 2022, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/1509 "2022-02-19T15:17:18Z")
> [@EllisDee](#): > > There was a chance in that you had already eliminated T so your third guess couldn’t have been the solution. Sorry, I posted the wrong word. My third guess was SWING. (I’ve since edited my post.) ---
**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:** [February 19, 2022, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/1510 "2022-02-19T15:17:38Z")
Ah, gotcha. Makes sense. And yeah, agreed, I would have totally thought your third guess was the correct answer as well. ---
**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:** [February 19, 2022, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/1511 "2022-02-19T15:39:21Z")
Oh, this one pissed me off. I thought of the answer for the third try, but those double uses of the same letter always cause me to doubt! Anyway… Wordle 245 4/6\* πŸŸ¨β¬›β¬›β¬›β¬› β¬›πŸŸ¨πŸŸ©β¬›β¬› β¬›β¬›πŸŸ©πŸŸ©πŸŸ¨ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 IRATE CLIMB FOILS SWILL ---
**Author:** ![eschrodinger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschrodinger/32/122_2.png) [@eschrodinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschrodinger)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2022, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/1512 "2022-02-19T16:09:20Z")
Wordle 245 5/6 β¬›β¬›πŸŸ©β¬›β¬› β¬›β¬›πŸŸ©β¬›β¬› πŸŸ¨β¬›πŸŸ©πŸŸ¨β¬› πŸŸ©πŸŸ©πŸŸ©β¬›πŸŸ© 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ADIEU POINT WHISK SWIRL SWILL > [@Aspenglow](#): > > I thought of the answer for the third try, but those double uses of the same letter always cause me to doubt! Me too. (Fourth try) I always try the word that doesn’t have double letters first. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2022, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/1513 "2022-02-19T16:16:42Z")
Darn! Thought I was gonna get it in 2: Wordle 245 3/6 πŸŸ¨β¬›β¬›πŸŸ©β¬› πŸŸ©πŸŸ©β¬›πŸŸ©πŸŸ© 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 WORLD SWELL SWILL ---
**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:** [February 19, 2022, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/1514 "2022-02-19T16:44:53Z")
Had to use three tries to get the last letter. Wordle 245 5/6 ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜🟩🟩🟨 🟩⬜🟩🟩🟩 🟩⬜🟩🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ---
**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:** [February 19, 2022, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/1515 "2022-02-19T17:19:21Z")
I’m starting to wonder if it might be better to use up a bunch of second-tier consonants with your first guess that would help prevent these increasingly common situations where you have four greens and a bunch of guesses for the last letter. For example, from a couple days ago with SHA\_E where the answer could have been shade, shake, shale, shame, shape, share or shave. V is probably too rare for a first guess. Maybe something like CHAMP as a first guess, though I’m not sure that would have been particularly helpful a couple days ago or even for today’s. The biggest issue I face is that the hits from my first guess limit which second tier letters I can make words with for my second guess. But I can use whatever word I want for the first guess, and then it would probably be easier to squeeze in first tier letters with a second guess. (R, S, T.) Well let’s see, using that example where the answer was SHAKE: CHAMP H and A show green, everything else gray. The follow-up guess would be pretty easy to come up with. S to start is obvious, and then trying to work in an R, L, or T plus another vowel might look like: SHARE And here I am with four greens, having eliminated M, P and R. That leaves shade, shake, shale, and shave and four guesses to get it right. ---
**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:** [February 19, 2022, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/1516 "2022-02-19T19:43:59Z")
> [@EllisDee](#): > > Nice! No sixes is impressive. Ones are pure luck; irrelevant noise in the stats. Two’s are mostly luck but some skill is usually involved. Yeah thanks but my first two plays were goose eggs! 11/13. 😝 ---
**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:** [February 19, 2022, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/1517 "2022-02-19T19:52:29Z")
Wordle 245 5/6 ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜🟩🟩⬜ ⬜⬜🟩🟩🟨 🟩⬜🟩🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 BEARD QUILT FOILS SPILL SWILL Wouldn’t it be handy for the β€˜share’ button to copy your word attempts as well as the colored squares ? Who do i write to ? ---
**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:** [February 19, 2022, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/1518 "2022-02-19T20:30:42Z")
Wow. Today’s was hard. Wordle 245 6/6\* ⬜⬜🟩⬜⬜ ⬜⬜🟩⬜⬜ ⬜⬜🟩⬜⬜ ⬜⬜🟩🟨⬜ 🟩🟩🟩⬜⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ---
**Author:** ![OldManLogan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oldmanlogan/32/5237_2.png) [@OldManLogan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldManLogan)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2022, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/1519 "2022-02-20T02:04:45Z")
Wordle 245 X/6 ⬜⬜⬜🟨⬜ ⬜🟨🟨⬜🟨 🟩🟨🟩⬜⬜ 🟩⬜🟩🟩🟩 🟩⬜🟩🟩🟩 🟩⬜🟩🟩🟩 I finally lost today. I had a 50/50 chance on the last word SHILL or SWILL after guessing SPILL and SKILL earlier and guessed wrong. ---
**Author:** ![JohnGalt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johngalt/32/184_2.png) [@JohnGalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnGalt)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2022, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/1520 "2022-02-20T03:44:24Z")
Same here, my first loss. I need a different strategy if multiple letters would fit. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604.md?page=75) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604.md?page=77)