# "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:** 8
**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 31, 2021, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/141 "2021-12-31T20:01:33Z")
Yes, @Isamu, please use spoiler tags! ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2021, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/142 "2021-12-31T21:25:36Z")
> [@Zakalwe](#): > > 4 tries again (darn it). Like many of you, I had no letters after 1 guess and only 1 letter (wrong pos) after 2nd guess. Third guess gave me 3 (all in wrong position - and I reused my letter from 2), but those three were distinct enough to give me the final word. I did… RAT_I_O P_IN_ES BL **I** _N_D **UNIFY** It was a tough one. Mostly because it was skimpy on the “common” letters. ---
**Author:** ![Isamu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7c8e57/32.png) [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2022, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/143 "2022-01-01T01:14:57Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > Use spoiler tags, pls. whoops ---
**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:** [January 1, 2022, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/144 "2022-01-01T01:29:13Z")
Got it in four: Weigh Aloud Antsy Unify I would’ve guessed “unity” but the T in “antsy” ruled that out. ---
**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:** [January 1, 2022, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/145 "2022-01-01T04:41:11Z")
I’ve learned to stay away from this thread in the latter part of my west coast day. After midnight here, I do the puzzle and then return to this thread. Thanks to all who keep using the spoiler tags. Oh, and… Happy New Year, everyone! Here’s to a good 2022 to us all. ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2022, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/146 "2022-01-01T05:37:12Z")
Got it in three. Perhaps the Jameson’s had something to do with it. STONE CHURN UNIFY ---
**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:** [January 1, 2022, 9:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/147 "2022-01-01T09:09:27Z")
Wow. This one was hard for me. I got it in 6. WRIST HONEY SMEAR LYRES PEARS REBUS I am going to determine a better strategy. ---
**Author:** ![Isamu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7c8e57/32.png) [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2022, 10:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/148 "2022-01-01T10:57:07Z")
Ratio Redux Rebus ---
**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:** [January 1, 2022, 11:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/149 "2022-01-01T11:23:40Z")
Got it in 5: pulse adore wrist retry rebus ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2022, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/150 "2022-01-01T12:28:49Z")
Got it in 3! **R** ATIO **R** _U_N_E_ **S** **REBUS** So far that starting word has been helping. ---
**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:** [January 1, 2022, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/151 "2022-01-01T12:39:17Z")
5 - but my 4th guess was a mistake since I kept one yellow letter in position (walked away for a few minutes and took a guess without thinking it through). I’ve decided I’m going to keep playing “easy” for 10 games (I’m up to 6 so far), then switch to hard. _S_W_E_AT CHOI_R_ _UR_G_E_ **S** L_URE_ **S** **REBUS** Sorry! Originally posted unblurred! ---
**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:** [January 1, 2022, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/152 "2022-01-01T12:49:34Z")
Got it in 3 today, January 1st. I got very lucky with my first word choice. It left me unsure if should start trying double letters and/or less common letters right away. In some of the paths other people have tried on the earlier puzzles, I saw them start in on that kind of thing a lot earlier than I normally do. My path today: **R** AT_E_ **S** **RE** IN **S** **REBUS** Happy New Year, everybody! ---
**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:** [January 1, 2022, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/153 "2022-01-01T13:09:41Z")
> [@Bullitt](#): > > I am going to determine a better strategy. More than once in your path. I saw you reuse letters that had already been ruled out (shown in grey in your earlier guesses). ---
**Author:** ![Tusculan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecd19e/32.png) [@Tusculan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tusculan)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2022, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/154 "2022-01-01T13:09:55Z")
I guessed the position of three letters quite early on, but couldn’t think of a word with them in the right position until the very last attempt, so just took a few guesses to cancel letters. SHUNT LOUSE FUMES UPEND NEXUS REBUS ---
**Author:** ![Isamu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7c8e57/32.png) [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2022, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/155 "2022-01-01T13:23:12Z")
> [@Ponderoid](#): > > More than once in your path. I saw you reuse letters that had already been ruled out (shown in grey in your earlier guesses). And not using letters that were shown to have been in the solution. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2022, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/156 "2022-01-01T13:26:44Z")
Got it in three today… SMART ROILS REBUS ---
**Author:** ![StarvingButStrong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/starvingbutstrong/32/335_2.png) [@StarvingButStrong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StarvingButStrong)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2022, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/157 "2022-01-01T15:03:25Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > So far that starting word has been helping. I get this tiny spark of proprietary pride every time someone lists their solution starting with **MY** suggested word. 🙂 Now I just have to figure out how to word this accomplishment when it comes time to post my obituary. As to general strategy – I’ve come up with three words that cover all the vowels, all the letters I’ve seen heading the ‘most common letters’ lists, and no repeated letters among them. Basically, those three words will reveal the presence of 15 out of the 26 letters. Would it be better to simply use a set of words like that to start each new puzzle? Or are you better off to tweak your choices based on the feedback of each word as you go? The happy accidents of getting a placement correct can be a great help, of course. ---
**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:** [January 1, 2022, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/158 "2022-01-01T16:29:16Z")
> [@Ponderoid](#): > > > [@Bullitt](#): > > > > I am going to determine a better strategy. > > More than once in your path. I saw you reuse letters that had already been ruled out (shown in grey in your earlier guesses). Yes I do know that. Not the best strategy there but I knew that at the time and actually I was referring to something else — similar to RATIO, but not just 1 word, what 3 words use up the 15 most frequent letters? If I start by playing 3 well-chosen words then ideally I should have all 5 letters flagged green or yellow in the game. Or, at least 4 or minimally 3. I’d then be able to guess the word by at least my 4th guess, or better yet my 3rd or even 2nd. I was reading an article about Morse code. Samuel Morse had to determine the letters most frequently used in order to give them the easiest codes. So from this article, [https://www.lexico.com/explore/which-letters-are-used-most](https://www.lexico.com/explore/which-letters-are-used-most), and more specifically this table in that article, [[Album] imgur.com ![](https://i.imgur.com/ApWahJ0.png?fb "imgur.com") ](https://imgur.com/a/ORnDpwM) we see the 15 most frequently used letters are, in order, **E A R I O T N S L C U D P M H** Here we see that RATIO is an ideal starting word. Hello again, @StarvingButStrong! My 3 starting words could be R A T I O C L E A N S T U M P, which leaves out D H Or they could be T E A R S B I S O N C L U M P, which also leaves out D H Are there three 5-letter words that exhaust all 15 of those letters? To review, without this new strategy I’ve guessed correctly in these number of guesses for the 8 words since @Briny_Deep shared this game with us back on 24 December (when I didn’t reveal the spoiler): R E B U S — got it in 6 guesses U N I F Y — got it in 3 guesses T A P I R — got it in 3 guesses A S I D E — got it in 4 guesses F E R R Y — _N/A, I saw the spoiler_ A C U T E — got it in 6 guesses P I C K Y — got it in 5 guesses W E A R Y — got it in 3 guesses With this new strategy I would have had: R E B U S — I’d have 4 of the 5 letters in rebus, R E U S U N I F Y — 3, U N I T A P I R — 5 A S I D E — 5 F E R R Y — only 2, the E and one R A C U T E — 5 P I C K Y — 3, P I C W E A R Y — 3, E A R I’d be in pretty good shape to get the word by the 4th or maybe 5th guess. I’d almost certainly not ever need all 6 attempts. So, yeah, perhaps a new strategy is in order. ---
**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:** [January 1, 2022, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/159 "2022-01-01T17:06:12Z")
Got it on the fourth word today. CHOIR RETAG REDUB REBUS ---
**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:** [January 1, 2022, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604/160 "2022-01-01T17:24:23Z")
Got it in 3: **R** AT_E_ **S** **RE** ND **S** **REBUS** Confession time. I am using word lists and Excel filtering to maintain my streak. In today’s example, after the first guess I compiled a list of words that started with “RE” (having guessed that E would go in the second position) and ending with “S” – disregarding words containing the incorrect letters, “RENDS” seemed the most plausible although “REINS” would have made as much sense or more. Then another filtering for the additional bad letters, and only one common word was left. The TROLL puzzle should have given me more confidence, though. My first guess had been S **T** A **R** E, which led me to try “TR” in the starting position and “O” as the vowel; the answer fell into my lap without looking at a word list. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-1/956604.md?page=9)