"Wordle," a strangely compelling word game (Part 1)

PATCH was eliminated by my first guess, and LATCH by my second. I didn’t think of HATCH so if WOMBS eliminated WATCH, MATCH, and BATCH, it would have been down to CATCH and HATCH.

Well, that just blew my 71 game streak.
Time to go find some other game.

Wordle 265 5/6* 3/11/2022

:white_large_square::green_square::white_large_square::white_large_square::white_large_square:
:white_large_square::green_square::green_square::white_large_square::white_large_square:
:white_large_square::green_square::green_square::green_square::green_square:
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LAPSE → OK start, I guess
RATIO → Running low on vowel options… let’s assume one A only
HATCH → In the words of Air Group Captain Lionel Mandrake, “Oh hell.”
CATCH
WATCH

Still had MATCH and BATCH, so in 25% of the multiverses out there, I lost today. As it turned out, the starting word I had so blithely dismissed as near-useless knocked out two endgame possibilities, without which I would have had coin-flip odds.

I did CLIMB, which eliminated CATCH, LATCH, MATCH and BATCH

Wordle 265 4/6

:black_large_square::yellow_square::black_large_square::black_large_square::black_large_square:
:yellow_square::black_large_square::black_large_square::black_large_square::black_large_square:
:yellow_square::green_square::black_large_square::black_large_square::black_large_square:
:green_square::green_square::green_square::green_square::green_square:

STONE
CLUMP
HAIRY
WATCH

This was a good day to burn letters on the first few guesses, and not play in hard mode, or even start guessing answers too soon.

Nasty thing. Took way too long for my coffee to kick in this morning, too.

Wordle 265 5/6*

:black_large_square::black_large_square::yellow_square::yellow_square::black_large_square:
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:black_large_square::green_square::green_square::black_large_square::black_large_square:
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:green_square::green_square::green_square::green_square::green_square:

IRATE
TALON
DATUM
PATCH
WATCH

Today’s Wordle was very risky for me and could have ended my streak. I started with this:

AIERY
:yellow_square::black_large_square::black_large_square::black_large_square::black_large_square:

LOTUS
:yellow_square::black_large_square::black_large_square::black_large_square::black_large_square:
:black_large_square::black_large_square::green_square::black_large_square::black_large_square:

MUNCH
:yellow_square::black_large_square::black_large_square::black_large_square::black_large_square:
:black_large_square::black_large_square::green_square::black_large_square::black_large_square:
:black_large_square::black_large_square::black_large_square::green_square::green_square:

This means the answer was one of these:

BATCH
CATCH
(GATCH) - I searched it; possibly a word(!)
HATCH
PATCH
WATCH

Only three guesses left. This gave me pause and I had to plan my strategy carefully. After 15 minutes I decided to play these next two words to eliminate (or isolate) BATCH, HATCH, PATCH, and WATCH:

HABIT
POWER,
and fortunately the results were this
:yellow_square::green_square::black_large_square::black_large_square::yellow_square:
:black_large_square::black_large_square::yellow_square::black_large_square::black_large_square:

I had the answer!

Wordle 265 6/6

:yellow_square::black_large_square::black_large_square::black_large_square::black_large_square:
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:black_large_square::black_large_square::black_large_square::green_square::green_square:
:yellow_square::green_square::black_large_square::black_large_square::yellow_square:
:black_large_square::black_large_square::yellow_square::black_large_square::black_large_square:
:green_square::green_square::green_square::green_square::green_square:

AIERY
LOTUS
MUNCH
HABIT
POWER
WATCH

Wow, that was close. I’ll read the thread now.

Indeed. Unfortunately some of us did.

@Fiendish_Astronaut
@Zakalwe
@Folly
@Hampshire

NOOOOOOOOO!

I admire those who play in hard mode. Early on I decided not to, but I don’t think I could articulate why. Now I can, and it’s because of words like this one. I may need to keep eliminating letters.

Most definitely, FFS!

Wordle 265 6/6

:black_large_square::black_large_square::black_large_square::black_large_square::black_large_square:
:black_large_square::black_large_square::blue_square::black_large_square::blue_square:
:blue_square::orange_square::blue_square::black_large_square::black_large_square:
:black_large_square::orange_square::orange_square::orange_square::orange_square:
:black_large_square::orange_square::black_large_square::black_large_square::black_large_square:
:orange_square::orange_square::orange_square::orange_square::orange_square:

DRONE
PLAIT
TACKY
CATCH
MAYBE
WATCH

Burned off the fifth word to ensure a 6. HATCH still would have sunk me, though (wipes sweat from brow). Only my third 6, but I’m still undefeated. Screw hard mode :grin:.

Wordle 265 5/6*

:black_large_square::yellow_square::yellow_square::black_large_square::black_large_square:
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:black_large_square::green_square::green_square::black_large_square::black_large_square:
:black_large_square::green_square::green_square::black_large_square::black_large_square:
:green_square::green_square::green_square::green_square::green_square:

This one kicked my butt a bit.

STALE
TRAIN
DATUM
PATTY
WATCH

I play on hard mode. This one killed my streak. Which is annoying. But for me anything other than hard mode turns the game into the sort of “follow the algorithm” exercise that made me get of the sudoku train after a few months of enjoying it.

I’m still following an algorithm of course, but it involves much more thinking of a sort I enjoy.

Mine, too. I think it’s funny we both came up with DATUM as our third try, despite vastly different approaches!

Tomorrow’s is…

Wordle 266 3/6

:yellow_square::white_large_square::yellow_square::white_large_square::white_large_square:
:yellow_square::white_large_square::yellow_square::white_large_square::yellow_square:
:green_square::green_square::green_square::green_square::green_square:

I noticed that too. At the time, it was literally the only word I could think of that would put the letters I had where I wanted them.

Wordle 265 3/6*

:yellow_square::white_large_square::white_large_square::white_large_square::white_large_square:
:white_large_square::green_square::green_square::white_large_square::white_large_square:
:green_square::green_square::green_square::green_square::green_square:

TEMPO
SATIN
WATCH

Wordle 265 6/6

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Skin of my teeth; I made a couple of dumb mistakes. Luckily I don’t play in hard mode (and agree with those who say that word’s like today’s are the reason to avoid hard mode).

OUTER, SATIN, BATTY, CLUMP, BATCH, WATCH

The first dumb mistake was guessing BATCH when I’d already found out there’s no B. The second was even more embarrassing: at step 3 I was sure the word ended in “ATCH” and so started running though possible initial consonants.

And of course those were “batch, catch, hatch, latch, match, patch…”----and all those words happen to rhyme. So when I got to “W” I rejected it because there’s no English word “watch” that rhymes with “batch, catch, hatch…”.

But of course there IS an English word “watch” that rhymes with “botch”!!!

:facepalm:

Extra facepalm for me: a grocer’s apostrophe!!! (“word’s”).

Shame compounding shame… :disappointed_relieved:

Tomorrow’s Wordle
This one took me way too long to figure out.

Wordle 266 5/6

:white_large_square::white_large_square::yellow_square::yellow_square::white_large_square:
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:white_large_square::white_large_square::yellow_square::green_square::yellow_square:
:green_square::green_square::green_square::green_square::green_square:

Wordle 266

CRATE
WAIST
ATOLL
FLOAT
TODAY

Wordle 266 3/6*

:white_large_square::white_large_square::yellow_square::yellow_square::white_large_square:
:yellow_square::yellow_square::white_large_square::white_large_square::yellow_square:
:green_square::green_square::green_square::green_square::green_square:

IRATE
YACHT
TODAY

Wordle 266 4/6

:black_large_square::black_large_square::black_large_square::black_large_square::black_large_square:
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CRIMP
STARE
GLOAT
TODAY

Screwed up my second word, should have played STALE instead of reusing the known bad R. (And would have had I noticed.) That would have at least saved me from the fear of _LOAT. It would also have narrowed down my third guess to only the correct answer, at least I think, for an easy 3.

Lots of unforced errors from me lately. Still saving par but I’m starting to lose the plot. I feel a 5 or 6 coming.