# "Wordle," a strangely compelling word game (Part 2)

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-2/981659>\
**Category:** The Game Room\
**Tags:** board-card-word-game\
**Created:** [March 25, 2023, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-2/981659 "2023-03-25T23:59:39Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 20\
**Page:** 47

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\
**Post date:** [May 9, 2023, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-2/981659/921 "2023-05-09T00:46:56Z")

</div>

Wordle 685 3/6

⬜⬜⬜⬜🟨  
🟨⬜⬜🟩🟩  
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

STARE  
ENDOW  
BELOW

Lucky 2nd guess helped.

> 

Wordle 686 6/6

⬜⬜⬜🟩🟩  
⬜⬜⬜🟩🟩  
⬜⬜⬜🟩🟩  
⬜🟨⬜🟩🟩  
🟩⬜⬜🟩🟩  
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

OUTER  
CHEER  
WIDER  
MAKER  
ASPER  
ANGER

Definitely a “whew.”

> 

Wordle 687 3/6

⬜⬜🟩⬜⬜  
⬜⬜🟩⬜⬜  
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

AROSE  
BOOTY  
GHOUL

If GHOUL weren’t on my list of ‘try this’ words this would have taken longer.

> 

Wordle 688 4/6

⬜🟨🟨⬜⬜  
⬜⬜🟨🟨🟨  
🟩⬜🟩🟩⬜  
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

ROAST  
VIOLA  
ALLOY  
AGLOW

Fairly routine.

The kicker was, when I looked at the usual screen that lets you copy/paste the graphic, it said this was my first game. Streak: 1. It should be 384.

I play on a desktop and get to Wordle by typing “Wordle” into Chrome. The URL of that last screen was

> **[Wordle - A daily word game](https://www.nytimes.com/games/wordle/index.html)**
>
> Guess the hidden word in 6 tries. A new puzzle is available each day.

–so I don’t think I accidentally clicked on a fake site or such.

I guess there was a bit of warning in that when I first got to the NYT site there was a window giving a brief tutorial on how to play. I closed it and played as usual.

So now all my stats are gone–I never signed up at NYT. Maybe if they’d put up a warning screen ‘you must register with us by May 8 or all your stats will vanish’–well, maybe I’d at least have considered doing so.

I don’t like being strong-armed or bullied and I never cared about Wordle-bot or any of that. I just like to get in and get out, and enjoy a bit of a brain teaser.

I’m beyond irritated, but am not really ambitious to put in time trying to get the stats back. So I may just give it a rest.

(The fact that I’m the only one here who seems to have encountered this issue means, perhaps, that I _did_ accidentally click on the wrong link–to a NYT site aimed at new players. It was at the top of Chrome’s Google results for Wordle, at any rate. Or then again, maybe I’m the one and only person who never registered with them. Meh.)

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**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:** [May 9, 2023, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-2/981659/922 "2023-05-09T03:02:00Z")

</div>

That sucks. I never registered with them, but I only play on my phone, not the computer.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![gkster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gkster/32/14107_2.png) [@gkster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gkster)\
**Post date:** [May 9, 2023, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-2/981659/923 "2023-05-09T03:07:20Z")

</div>

Wordle 688 4/6\*

🟨⬜🟨⬜⬜  
⬜🟨🟩🟨⬜  
🟩⬜🟩🟩⬜  
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

LEAST  
POLAR  
ALLOY  
AGLOW  
Solving this was a slog, and I’m not a fan of the word either–it’s in the PINEY league

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\
**Post date:** [May 9, 2023, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-2/981659/924 "2023-05-09T04:05:15Z")

</div>

MAY 9

Wordle 689 4/6\*

🟦⬛🟦⬛⬛  
⬛⬛🟦🟦⬛  
🟧🟦⬛🟧⬛  
🟧🟧🟧🟧🟧

ALONE  
SHOAL  
CAROM  
COCOA

…I made some odd choices.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![psychobunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/54ee81/32.png) [@psychobunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychobunny)\
**Post date:** [May 9, 2023, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-2/981659/925 "2023-05-09T04:18:48Z")

</div>

Wordle 689 5/6

⬜🟨⬜⬜🟨  
🟨⬜⬜🟨⬜  
⬜🟩🟨🟨⬜  
🟩🟩⬜⬜🟩  
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

RATIO  
ONLAY  
POACH  
COMMA  
COCOA

Very hard word for me to get.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![SeaSun](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/seasun/32/14820_2.png) [@SeaSun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaSun)\
**Post date:** [May 9, 2023, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-2/981659/926 "2023-05-09T05:29:44Z")

</div>

**Wordle 688 4/6**

⬜⬜🟨⬜⬜  
⬜🟨🟩🟩⬜  
🟩⬜🟩🟩⬜  
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

TRACE  
SALON  
ALLOY  
AGLOW

So I guess it’s “G appreciation month”. Sure wish they’d stop that.

I got spoiled for tomorrow’s word (game #689). 🫤 After I posted today’s results, I clicked on the spoiler blur from one of the “early birds” and saw a word that wasn’t today’s word. Not their fault…I just wasn’t thinking.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![QMatic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/aeb1de/32.png) [@QMatic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QMatic)\
**Post date:** [May 9, 2023, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-2/981659/927 "2023-05-09T06:38:12Z")

</div>

Wordle 689 4/6\*

⬜⬜⬜🟨⬜  
🟨⬜🟨⬜⬜  
⬜🟨⬜⬜🟨  
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

RIVAL  
ABOUT  
MANGO  
COCOA

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**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:** [May 9, 2023, 8:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-2/981659/928 "2023-05-09T08:02:06Z")

</div>

Wordle 689 4/6\*

⬛⬛🟨⬛⬛  
🟨⬛🟨⬛⬛  
⬛🟨⬛🟩⬛  
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

LEAST  
AVOID  
MAJOR  
COCOA

It was, according to Wordlebot the only word left.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\
**Post date:** [May 9, 2023, 10:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-2/981659/929 "2023-05-09T10:14:01Z")

</div>

Wordle 689 3/6

⬜⬜🟨⬜⬜ 1,191  
🟩⬜🟨⬜⬜ 10  
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

SLANT  
CHORE  
COCOA

Coffee’s still hot.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**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:** [May 9, 2023, 10:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-2/981659/930 "2023-05-09T10:41:55Z")

</div>

Wordle 689 4/6\*

\begin{aligned} &\bbox[silver,5px,border:1px solid black]{\texttt B} \bbox[silver,5px,border:1px solid black]{\texttt E} \bbox[yellow,5px,border:1px solid black]{\texttt A} \bbox[silver,5px,border:1px solid black]{\texttt R} \bbox[silver,5px,border:1px solid black]{\texttt D} \\ &\bbox[silver,5px,border:1px solid black]{\texttt P} \bbox[yellow,5px,border:1px solid black]{\texttt A} \bbox[silver,5px,border:1px solid black]{\texttt I} \bbox[silver,5px,border:1px solid black]{\texttt N} \bbox[silver,5px,border:1px solid black]{\texttt T} \\ &\bbox[lime,5px,border:1px solid black]{\texttt C} \bbox[silver,5px,border:1px solid black]{\texttt L} \bbox[yellow,5px,border:1px solid black]{\texttt O} \bbox[yellow,5px,border:1px solid black]{\texttt A} \bbox[silver,5px,border:1px solid black]{\texttt K} \\ &\bbox[lime,5px,border:1px solid black]{\texttt C} \bbox[lime,5px,border:1px solid black]{\texttt O} \bbox[lime,5px,border:1px solid black]{\texttt C} \bbox[lime,5px,border:1px solid black]{\texttt O} \bbox[lime,5px,border:1px solid black]{\texttt A} \\ \end{aligned}

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![chiliwillybing](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chiliwillybing/32/12394_2.png) [@chiliwillybing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiliwillybing)\
**Post date:** [May 9, 2023, 11:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-2/981659/931 "2023-05-09T11:31:03Z")

</div>

Wordle 689 4/6

⬜🟨⬜⬜⬜  
⬜🟩⬜🟨⬜  
🟩🟩🟨🟨⬜  
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

RAISE  
TODAY  
COACH  
COCOA

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**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:** [May 9, 2023, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-2/981659/932 "2023-05-09T11:55:52Z")

</div>

Wordle 689 4/6

⬜⬜🟨⬜⬜  
⬜🟨⬜⬜⬜  
🟨⬜⬜🟩⬜  
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

HEART  
PAINS  
ALLOW  
COCOA

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**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:** [May 9, 2023, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-2/981659/933 "2023-05-09T12:44:39Z")

</div>

Wordle 689 4/6

⬛🟨⬛⬛⬛  
⬛🟩⬛⬛⬛  
🟩⬛⬛⬛⬛  
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

SALET  
ROUND  
CHIMP  
COCOA

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**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:** [May 9, 2023, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-2/981659/934 "2023-05-09T15:10:06Z")

</div>

Loved the word, after I found it.

Wordle 689 4/6\*

⬛⬛🟨⬛⬛  
🟩⬛🟨🟨⬛  
🟩🟨⬛🟩⬛  
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

IRATE  
CLOAK  
CAPON  
COCOA

WordleBot rather sniffily advised me that my third word choice, while a valid word, isn’t one of the words it would consider likely to be a solution based on what it has “learned” from playing Wordle. Dumb me, I guess.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\
**Post date:** [May 9, 2023, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-2/981659/935 "2023-05-09T15:19:42Z")

</div>

> WordleBot rather sniffily advised me that my third word choice, while a valid word, isn’t one of the words it would consider likely to be a solution based on what it has “learned” from playing Wordle. Dumb me, I guess.

One of the pluses of Scoredle is that it doesn’t offer opinions on your choices.

Someone in another forum suggested [Wordplay.com](http://Wordplay.com) as a non-NYT Wordle clone. Wordplay just plain doesn’t shut up; it’s got something to say about every word you enter. Thanks, but no thanks.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\
**Post date:** [May 9, 2023, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-2/981659/936 "2023-05-09T15:30:33Z")

</div>

Wordle 689 3/6

🟧⬜🟦⬜⬜  
⬜⬜🟦⬜⬜  
🟧🟧🟧🟧🟧

CRANE  
SPOIL  
COCOA - Try two double letters? Sure, why not.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**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:** [May 9, 2023, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-2/981659/937 "2023-05-09T15:44:23Z")

</div>

> [@RTFirefly](#):
>
> One of the pluses of Scoredle is that it doesn’t offer opinions on your choices.

Good to know. 🙂

However, part of my daily morning ritual is to play Wordle, then accept the verbal abuse heaped upon me by my captor. Stockholm Syndrome, I guess. 😉

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![SunUp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@SunUp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SunUp)\
**Post date:** [May 9, 2023, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-2/981659/938 "2023-05-09T17:41:49Z")

</div>

> **Wordle 689 4/6\* 5/9/2023**
>
> 🟨⬜⬜🟩⬜  
> 🟩🟨⬜🟩⬜  
> 🟩⬜🟨🟩⬜  
> 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
> 
> _A_GL **O** W - Good start, heavy on the vowels. Still like to try an E, so…  
> **C** _A_N **O** E → No E, but a lucky C! A next to O, one word comes to mind…  
> **C** H_A_ **O** S → No, A after O. I sat here looking at this for a long time before it became _obvious_…  
> **COCOA**
> 
> Subbing in one repeat when I’m thinking about words is typical, but this time I had to sub in two.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**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:** [May 9, 2023, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-2/981659/939 "2023-05-09T23:41:44Z")

</div>

Wordle 689 4/6

🟦⬛⬛⬛⬛  
⬛🟧⬛🟦⬛  
⬛🟧🟦🟦⬛  
🟧🟧🟧🟧🟧

ALIVE  
SONAR  
POACH  
COCOA

Could also have been COMMA. I’m surprised the double-double didn’t give more people trouble today.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\
**Post date:** [May 10, 2023, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-2/981659/940 "2023-05-10T00:02:02Z")

</div>

> [@EllisDee](#):
>
> That sucks. I never registered with them, but I only play on my phone, not the computer.

Thanks. And here’s the inexplicable next part of the story: my stats are back, but I’m STILL at “current streak 1” despite getting the solution both yesterday and today. But my “max streak” is roughly correct, considering they booted me for some entirely unknown reason.

I went back out of curiosity to see if they’d make me a Brand New Player each and every day—and apparently that’s what they’re doing: my “current streak” will forever be “1”.

There is NOTHING in anything I’ve done that could account for this–no clearing of cookies, no playing on a different device (it’s been this desktop from the beginning), no new downloads, no visits to any sites I don’t regularly visit. No new software installed; no new peripherals added.

If they’d just put up a window saying “register if you want to start building a new streak,” then at least I’d know what was going on.

But no.

I’m starting to feel funny about NYT dotcom in general. If they’re this aggressive about Wordle, what else might they be doing? What malware might they be installing each time I visit???

Anyway, today’s result:  
Wordle 689 4/6

⬜⬜🟨⬜⬜  
🟨⬜⬜⬜🟩  
🟩🟩⬜⬜🟩  
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

SLANT  
OMEGA  
CORDA  
COCOA

Took quite a while.

Out of curiosity—IS every other participant in this thread registered with NYT?

[Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-2/981659.md?page=46)

[Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-a-strangely-compelling-word-game-part-2/981659.md?page=48)
