SLATE → Unpositioned T. Let me put a couple more vowels into play…
POINT → Lucky hit on one of them. Two places left for the T… but really only one, when you think about it…
TRICK → If it’s not TRI-, and I think it can’t be TWI-, must be THI-, and I really need to check R, so…
THIRD
Unlike Wheelz, I fell for the trick.
Wordle 549 5/6
SLANT
MOTIF
TIZZY
TRIBE
THIRD
TIZZY was basically a throwaway guess–I was cold and that put my brain in a, well, you know.
Many of us are still benefitting from the fact that they’ve not yet started repeating words (if they actually will). The “T” list of solutions is long enough to eliminate many otherwise plausible guesses.
Maybe they’re waiting for the New Year to spring repeats on us?
Wordle 550 3/6
r
RATIO
SHARE
LUNAR
This has been a very lucky week. I have had two 2s, four 3s, and two 4s.
Wordle 549 3/6
DOILY
BRIDE
THIRD
Wordle 550 2/6*
PIOUS
LUNAR
Bit of a morale booster
Wordle 550 3/6
Crane
Rough
Lunar
Wordle 550 3/6
CRAMS
LATER
LUNAR
That second guess sure helped narrow it down. Not a ton of words end in -AR.
Another 3. That’s five consecutive 3s.
Wordle 550 3/6
EARTH
LIONS
LUNAR
Pretty nice steak there!
Wordle 550 4/6*
BEARD
ARGON
RAINY
LUNAR
Wordle 550 3/6
SLANT => Even with this much info, still had a plethora of possibilities, but:
CHORE => getting the R here with my usual second word narrowed it down to one:
LUNAR
And the steak is still cooking! 
Wordle 550 3/6
Another in the streak of threes.
CRANE
MANOR
LUNAR
So are the answers easier or are we collectively just better now?
Wordle 550 4/6
HEART
FRIAR
SUGAR
LUNAR
Good question. My average since the NYT took over is almost exactly what it was for the stretch between PARER and the takeover. So that’s one anecdata point.
I found an interview with the new editor. Around the nine minute mark she discusses the process for coming up with words and she talked about her “experiment” of the themed words (FEAST on Thanksgiving).
Should have had this in two. On my laptop (and with my defective color vision), when all the correct letters are the same color, I sometimes can’t tell whether the letters are green or not. Hence my reuse in the second try.
Wordle 550 3/6
CRANE
PRANK
LUNAR
Wordle 550 3/6
SAUCE
TUBAL
LUNAR
Wordle 550 4/6
CAUSE
AUDIT
HUMAN
LUNAR
I felt really good about HUMAN, and was disappointed when that wasn’t it. I’m expecting threes now, so maybe it is getting easier… Or I’m getting better.
Have you tried High Contrast Mode in the settings? That’s what changes my squares to blue and orange. I wouldn’t be able to play without it.
Another three. It’s a streak (like everyone else’s)!
Wordle 550 3/6*
IRATE
LABOR
LUNAR
Truth be told? I think WordleBot is useless.