# "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:** 78
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2022, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/1541 "2022-02-20T17:07:10Z")
Wordle 246 4/6 🟨⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜🟨🟨⬜ 🟨🟨🟨🟩🟨 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ---
**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 20, 2022, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/1542 "2022-02-20T17:55:06Z")
I _thought_ of it in two, but as usual, I resisted using the same letter twice.. Wordle 246 4/6\* πŸŸ¨β¬›πŸŸ¨πŸŸ¨β¬› β¬›πŸŸ¨πŸŸ¨πŸŸ¨β¬› πŸŸ¨β¬›β¬›πŸŸ©πŸŸ© 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 IRATE VITAL ADMIT TACIT I just have to get over it, I guess. ---
**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 20, 2022, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/1543 "2022-02-20T18:32:28Z")
Wordle 246 4/6 πŸŸ¨β¬›πŸŸ¨β¬›β¬› β¬›πŸŸ¨πŸŸ¨πŸŸ©β¬› β¬›πŸŸ©πŸŸ¨πŸŸ©β¬› 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ADIEU STAIN RATIO TACIT I’ve been trying out using adieu as my starting word, vs a random word I happen to think of that has some good letters in it. I think I may go back to the random word. ---
**Author:** ![Briny\_Deep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/briny_deep/32/17188_2.png) [@Briny\_Deep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Briny_Deep)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2022, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/1544 "2022-02-21T00:20:32Z")
β€œ[What in the world is happening with our beloved Wordle?](https://www.theguardian.com/games/2022/feb/20/what-in-the-world-is-happening-to-our-beloved-wordle)” (_The Guardian_) Some people seem irritated that the game is getting harder. No idea if this is truly the case – sorry if I missed this upthread, but do we know if the New York Times has preserved the original answer list? All the answers in the old game were coded in from the beginning, in order, visible in the source code. I assume the β€œhardness” of the answers was entirely random and arbitrary, though of course that might not be the case. I thought today’s solution was perhaps the least common word I’d noticed since the beginning, but it’s still common enough and I don’t object. But any word with double letters is bound to be a bit harder to guess, because one usually doesn’t want to β€œwaste” a letter by guessing a word containing a double letter early on. The Guardian said that some people had a big problem with the obscurity of CAULK (solution from several days ago), which has me wondering if that word is much more common in America – seems quite everyday to me. The article also states that certain dictionary words that were deemed offensive have been removed from the allowed guess list, though they were never among the solution list. That seems… a little misguided and paternalistic to me. They’re common enough, real words which one might want to use as a guess, but because they denote offensive concepts, now you can’t. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2022, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/1545 "2022-02-21T00:25:05Z")
NYT has a similar policy for the Bee. ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2022, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/1546 "2022-02-21T00:41:38Z")
When a friend showed me this spoof I laughed out loud β€” one letter wordle (letterle) > **[Letterle](https://edjefferson.com/letterle/)** > > A letter game πŸ˜„ Brian ---
**Author:** ![Folly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folly/32/3219_2.png) [@Folly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folly)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2022, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/1547 "2022-02-21T01:06:44Z")
Letterle 22/26 22 dang tries. I won’t subject this thread to the β€˜share’ copy and paste, though it was funny. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2022, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/1548 "2022-02-21T04:07:24Z")
At first there was Wordle, for finding a word in six guesses. And then there was [Dordle](https://zaratustra.itch.io/dordle), for finding two words in seven guesses. And that spawned [Quordle](https://www.quordle.com/) - four in nine… …and [Octordle](https://octordle.com/) - eight in thirteen… …,and now [Sedecordle](http://www.sedecordle.com/) - 16 in 21 guesses. I guess a buffer of five misses is standard now. ---
**Author:** ![GreenWyvern](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/greenwyvern/32/2834_2.png) [@GreenWyvern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenWyvern)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2022, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/1549 "2022-02-21T04:53:59Z")
Huh! Got it in two. Wordle 247 2/6 🟩🟨⬜🟨🟨 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ORATE OTHER This was one occasion when avoiding a double letter worked. I was about to try OTTER, but thought better of it. ---
**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 21, 2022, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/1550 "2022-02-21T05:06:41Z")
Second-tier consonant start again, 2 for 2 getting it in 3. Wordle 247 3/6 β¬›πŸŸ¨β¬›β¬›β¬› πŸŸ¨πŸŸ¨β¬›πŸŸ¨πŸŸ¨ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 CHILD HEART OTHER ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2022, 8:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/1551 "2022-02-21T08:21:06Z")
The only thing the NYT has done is remove some words (deemed to be inappropriate or obscure). Otherwise it is the same list. If anything it has become easier. ---
**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:** [February 21, 2022, 9:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/1552 "2022-02-21T09:09:33Z")
Wordle 247 4/6 β¬›πŸŸ¨β¬›πŸŸ¨πŸŸ¨ β¬›πŸŸ¨β¬›β¬›β¬› β¬›πŸŸ¨πŸŸ¨πŸŸ¨πŸŸ¨ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 What’s a second-tier consonant? What does that mean? ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2022, 10:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/1553 "2022-02-21T10:06:49Z")
Wordle 247 3/6 🟨🟨⬜🟩⬜ ⬜🟩⬜🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 tries utter other ---
**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 21, 2022, 11:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/1554 "2022-02-21T11:25:26Z")
Wordle 247 2/6\* πŸŸ¨πŸŸ¨β¬›β¬›πŸŸ¨ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 Fastest played game yet! ---
**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:** [February 21, 2022, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/1555 "2022-02-21T11:44:41Z")
Wordle 247 3/6\* πŸŸ¨β¬›πŸŸ¨β¬›πŸŸ¨ πŸŸ¨πŸŸ¨πŸŸ¨β¬›πŸŸ¨ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 Not too bad today. 2nd guess giving me a couple of letters NOT being where I put them was key. ---
**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 21, 2022, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/1556 "2022-02-21T13:06:40Z")
Wordle 247 3/6 ⬜🟨🟨⬜🟨 🟨🟩🟩⬜⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 CHEAT ETHYL OTHER ---
**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 21, 2022, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/1557 "2022-02-21T13:06:40Z")
Got my first 2 Wordle 247 2/6\* ⬜🟩🟨⬜⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 First word was Stoup ---
**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 21, 2022, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/1558 "2022-02-21T14:09:33Z")
> [@Bullitt](#): > > What’s a second-tier consonant? What does that mean? It’s just a term I made up to describe my current strategy. Think of the most common consonants – in my mind those are S, T, R, L, N – and call them first tier. The next most common consonants – in my mind C, D, H, M, P and (barely) K – would therefore be second tier. My hypothesis is that for most of those situations where you have four green letters but still a ton of choices, those choices are mostly or at least frequently going to be second tier consonants. SHA\_E and S\_ILL are both recent examples. In order to use up this second tier list, my thinking is to start with them in your first guess, saving S, T, R, etc… for your second. This gives you complete freedom to choose four second tier consonants to start, and then it should in theory be easier to make your second word out of the most common letters. Certainly easier than the other way around, where you start with most common and then have to come up with words with less common letters. My original assumption was that this would shave a guess off those situations like SHA\_E, letting you solve in 5 or 6 instead of possibly losing, at the cost of an extra guess for β€œnormal” games where the answer is made up of first tier consonants. But so far I’m two for two, getting the answer in 3. (Yesterday I tried for the first time starting with CHIMP, then today I used CHILD. I’m thinking PONCH for tomorrow’s, but H in the 2nd position is a much stronger opening. Maybe I’ll just cycle vowels with CHAMP/CHIMP/CHOMP/CHUMP depending on my mood.) EDIT: Two β€œresearch” guesses then get the answer with your third guess is what I hope for. I try to apply all known information to all subsequent guesses, which has been noticeably easier these past two days with letters like S, R and T still on the table. ---
**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 21, 2022, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/1559 "2022-02-21T14:46:00Z")
I’ll have to look at the word lists when I get home (I have the answers list and allowable words list downloaded somewhere on my computer), but I did find it odd the other day that I couldn’t use β€œslave” as a guess. I mean, I understand it not being in the answer list, I guess, but in the allowable words guess list, it seems odd to me to strike it. It’s just a game, and the owners of the game can choose whatever arbitrary wordlists to play from that they want, but it still surprised me. ---
**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 21, 2022, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/1560 "2022-02-21T15:14:20Z")
My second two in a row! Lucky first guess. Wordle 247 2/6 πŸŸ¦πŸŸ¦β¬›πŸŸ§πŸŸ§ 🟧🟧🟧🟧🟧 TONER OTHER [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604.md?page=77) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604.md?page=79)