"Wordle," a strangely compelling word game (Part 3)

The Game Room
81

Wordle 1,255 3/6*

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

82

Wordle 1,255 4/6

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

HEART
BROIL
BROOM
BROWN

83

Wordle 1255 4/6

:white_large_square::white_large_square::white_large_square::yellow_square::white_large_square: 584
:white_large_square::white_large_square::green_square::yellow_square::white_large_square: 8
:green_square::white_large_square::white_large_square::white_large_square::white_large_square: 1
:green_square::green_square::green_square::green_square::green_square:

SLANT
CHORE
BADGE
BROWN

This one was interesting.

After 2, with N and R both excluded from the 4th spot and the O in the 3rd, there were six possible ways the N and R could fit in the 1-2-5 spots. Two of the six possibilities were out right off the bat, since no words begin with NR or RN. But that still left four possibilities (N in the first or second slot and R in the 5th, or vice versa) and I was surprised to find that only one of them yielded any actual words.

But I found them all: BROWN, DROWN, FROWN, GROWN, and GROIN. So I went with BADGE as a sleuth word on 3, which would have worked even if none of them had been used before, since the NYT was unlikely to use GROIN as a solution. Anyway, that yielded the B for the solution. (Will Ellis trust the B? We’ll find out later! :wink: )

84

What can brown do for you?

Wordle 1,255 4/6

:black_large_square::black_large_square::black_large_square::yellow_square::black_large_square:
:black_large_square::yellow_square::black_large_square::black_large_square::black_large_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:

STARE
DOILY
PUNCH
BROWN

85

Wordle 1,255 5/6*

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

LEAST
GOURD
CROCK
PROOF
BROWN

86

Wordle 1,255 4/6

:white_large_square::orange_square::white_large_square::blue_square::white_large_square:
:white_large_square::orange_square::orange_square::white_large_square::orange_square:
:white_large_square::orange_square::orange_square::orange_square::orange_square:
:orange_square::orange_square::orange_square::orange_square::orange_square:

CRANE
GROIN
FROWN
BROWN

87

Wordle 1,255 4/6

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

PLANT
SNORE
GROWN
BROWN

My rules let me down here. Trust the B, unless there’s a G go G first. But go F before either of them. Frown has already been an answer so there’s a pretty good chance I already got a 3 out of this rule on frown.

Incidentally, I came up with every part of this rule – including “Trust the B!” – when I played quordle. The letter B shows up remarkably frequently in quordle, or at least it did when I used to play. I have no reason to use this rule in traditional wordle, largely because wordle doesn’t repeat answers. Quordle repeats answers frequently and burns through four per day, so sometimes you’d see the same answer two days in a row.

88

Dangit.

Wordle 1,255 X/6* 11/25/2024

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

TWIST → Just the W. OK. Wanted to try E & A and two WoFcons here, but couldn’t find a word - so settled for E & O, fortunately enough
LOWER → And here is where I went horribly awry. Don’t cover the N? Repeat the O where I know it wasn’t? Sure, why not?
WORMY → So now that I came to my senses, I see a word with N and the letters I want, but - what start letter? It’s at least a 4-trap, and I’ve only got three guesses! Well, let’s try one to make sure it is what I think it is
CROWN → Yep. BFG, two guesses left. I feel like we’ve just done one of these recently. Was it… BROWN? Or should I, instead, trust the B?
FROWN → Nope. One guess left
GROWN

A deserved loss. My third guess merited nothing but scorn. Oddly enough, Scoredle crashes and burns on this puzzle as well from my start. Though it does see DROWN which I missed when I enumerated the trap, it still puts off the answer until it’s too late.

89

Wordle 1,255 6/6

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

YEAST (no sense pretending we don’t already know my first word.)

CURIO (Vowel hunt snagged a consonant, too. Two vowels?)
PROOF (Nope. But I placed the letters I do have.)
GROWN (BROWN and DROWN left. C’mon DROWN! Baby needs a new pair of shoes!)
DROWN (Fuck.)
BROWN. (Phew, schmew. Don’t pretend you don’t already know it’s the only xROWN word left, wordlebot.)

90

Am I the only one who starts with TRACE, based on a Wordlebot suggestion from months ago?

91

Wordle 1,255 4/6

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

ANISE
ROUND
CROON
BROWN

I feel like I should have seen the _ROWN trap sooner; CROON did me no real good other than eliminating CROON as the answer.
In the end I had BROWN, FROWN, and GROWN left (plus FRORN and PROYN - really, Scordle?) and got lucky for the par.

92

Wordle 1,256 6/6

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

93

Wordle 1,256 6/6

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

RATIO
LITHE
DITCH
PITCH
HITCH
WITCH

Decided to stay in hard mode and got stuck in the trap.

94

Wordle 1,256 4/6*

\begin{aligned} &\bbox[silver,5px,border:1px solid black]{\texttt B} \bbox[silver,5px,border:1px solid black]{\texttt E} \bbox[silver,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 Q} \bbox[silver,5px,border:1px solid black]{\texttt U} \bbox[yellow,5px,border:1px solid black]{\texttt I} \bbox[silver,5px,border:1px solid black]{\texttt L} \bbox[yellow,5px,border:1px solid black]{\texttt T} \\ &\bbox[yellow,5px,border:1px solid black]{\texttt T} \bbox[silver,5px,border:1px solid black]{\texttt O} \bbox[silver,5px,border:1px solid black]{\texttt N} \bbox[yellow,5px,border:1px solid black]{\texttt I} \bbox[yellow,5px,border:1px solid black]{\texttt C} \\ &\bbox[lime,5px,border:1px solid black]{\texttt W} \bbox[lime,5px,border:1px solid black]{\texttt I} \bbox[lime,5px,border:1px solid black]{\texttt T} \bbox[lime,5px,border:1px solid black]{\texttt C} \bbox[lime,5px,border:1px solid black]{\texttt H} \\ \end{aligned}

95

Wordle 1256 4/6

:white_large_square::white_large_square::white_large_square::white_large_square::yellow_square: 524
:yellow_square::yellow_square::white_large_square::white_large_square::white_large_square: 16
:green_square::green_square::white_large_square::white_large_square::white_large_square: 1
:green_square::green_square::green_square::green_square::green_square:

SLANT
CHORE
WIPED
WITCH

Was mentally running through possible solutions, going " BITCH, DITCH, HITCH… :notes: I feel like I’ve been here before… :notes: " so unlike Wordle #1065, where I got a stinkin’ 6, I did a sleuth word.

96

Wordle 1,256 4/6

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

HEART
THINK
SMITH - oops! Forgot to move the I to a different position
WITCH

97

Wordle 1,256 4/6

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

STARE
DOILY
PUNCH
WITCH

98

Wordle 1,256 3/6*

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

LEAST
DIRTY
WITCH - In an unusual turn of events, I actually won the coin toss! (PITCH was the other choice.)

99

Wordle 1,256 5/6

:blue_square::white_large_square::white_large_square::white_large_square::white_large_square:
:white_large_square::white_large_square::white_large_square::orange_square::orange_square:
:white_large_square::orange_square::white_large_square::orange_square::orange_square:
:white_large_square::orange_square::white_large_square::orange_square::orange_square:
:orange_square::orange_square::orange_square::orange_square::orange_square:

CRANE
POUCH
ZILCH
FINCH - I hate it when I’m stupid
WITCH

100
Wordle 1,256 5/6* 11/26/2024

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

BROWN → Another word with a W. Huh. Let’s try it at the start - this time I have a good second word using A & E and two WoFcons
WASTE → Placed the W, have a T, need a vowel. Can’t think of any words using an L, so table that for now. I’ll try an I, and move the T to the end for
WIGHT → Probably a long shot. At least I can see the end now, just swap H & T and get
WIDTH → CHOKE! T is in the middle, dude! Bad putt for par on my part
WITCH

Scoredle pars the puzzle - does better with this start word than with its own, in fact. That makes two in a row that I’ve guessed a letter somewhere that I know it isn’t. At least I did eventually hole out for a bogey this time.