# Wordle: did the game suddenly ‘turn left at Albuquerque’? (open game spoilers) **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Tags:** board-card-word-game\ **Created:** [November 7, 2026, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-did-the-game-suddenly-turn-left-at-albuquerque-open-game-spoilers/1034659 "2026-11-07T15:03:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**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:** [November 7, 2026, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-did-the-game-suddenly-turn-left-at-albuquerque-open-game-spoilers/1034659/1 "2026-11-07T15:03:28Z")
(_“I knew I shoulda taken that left turn at Albuquerque!” is a Bugs Bunny catchphrase._) The last two words, **PRATE** and **DRECK** , are certainly not common words. Not in my vocabulary, anyway. When did the game change? Or did the game ever change? I thought Josh Wardle created this game for his girlfriend for commonly used words…? I’m not all that well-read but I think my vocabulary is decent, and I’ve never heard these words before. I’ve certainly never used them. I have a small Wordle streak going and it almost ended today. I just barely got PRATE because it was in a word search tool I sometimes use. The tool helped me with DRECK, too. ---
**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:** [November 7, 2026, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-did-the-game-suddenly-turn-left-at-albuquerque-open-game-spoilers/1034659/2 "2026-11-07T15:17:45Z")
I’ve never heard that it was intended for common words only. Surely it’s a good thing to try and expand people’s vocabulary ! Eta: i’m surprised prate and dreck are not used more these days, what with the current administration ! ---
**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:** [November 7, 2026, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-did-the-game-suddenly-turn-left-at-albuquerque-open-game-spoilers/1034659/3 "2026-11-07T15:22:33Z")
My word tool also suggested these uncommon words: frate, urate, and wrate. What are these words? I do not think they mean what you think they mean. ---
**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:** [November 7, 2026, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-did-the-game-suddenly-turn-left-at-albuquerque-open-game-spoilers/1034659/4 "2026-11-07T15:26:44Z")
Prate: To prate means to talk long and idly, chattering excessively about unimportant, foolish, or meaningless matters. Dreck: Dreck is an informal noun that refers to anything worthless, of poor quality, trashy, or acting as literal or figurative filth (such as junk items, bad movies, or sloppy writing). Frate: The word frate primarily means a friar or monk in Italian, though it carries different meanings and slang uses depending on the language and region. Urate: Urate is the ionized or salt form of uric acid (C₅H₄N₄O₃), which is a natural waste product created when your body breaks down purines—chemicals found in your cells and in certain foods and drinks (like red meat, seafood, and alcohol). Wrate: wrate a minute! These are not real words! Okay. Wrate: Wrate is an obsolete or archaic simple past tense of the verb write (meaning to form letters or words on a surface). ---
**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:** [November 7, 2026, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-did-the-game-suddenly-turn-left-at-albuquerque-open-game-spoilers/1034659/5 "2026-11-07T15:37:08Z")
From wiki, Bolding mine — In January 2021, he (Josh Wardle) returned to his 2013 prototype to create a word game for his partner, Palak Shah. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he and Shah had played many New York Times games including Spelling Bee, and he wanted to make a new word game that they could play together. Shah played a vital role in the game’s development before it went public. She reviewed the 12,000 five-letter words in the English language and narrowed them down to **2,500 commonly-known words** that could be used in the daily puzzle. ➜ [Josh Wardle - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josh_Wardle#Wordle) ◆ Again, prate and dreck are not commonly-known words. But I’ve never reviewed the list of 2,500 words. I’ve never searched for that list. Such a dreck. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2026, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-did-the-game-suddenly-turn-left-at-albuquerque-open-game-spoilers/1034659/6 "2026-11-07T15:42:46Z")
“Prate” is the infinitive verb form of the more common word “prattle”. You’ve probably heard of that one. “Dreck” is from Yiddish. Everyone in the US Northeast knows what it is and many people use it routinely. The rest of the USA? Not so much. I suspect that they’ve long since run out of “common” = obvious words. And need to avoid getting repetitive by running the same e.g. 200 words over and over. So they’re forced to salt in ever more obscure words to keep the faithful satisfied. And learning. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2026, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-did-the-game-suddenly-turn-left-at-albuquerque-open-game-spoilers/1034659/7 "2026-11-07T15:44:43Z")
Wardle sold his game, which is why you can play it. It was changed by the new owners. DRECK and PRATE don’t seem that obscure to me. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2026, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-did-the-game-suddenly-turn-left-at-albuquerque-open-game-spoilers/1034659/8 "2026-11-07T15:49:28Z")
I’ve seen dreck used on this board frequently, especially in Cafe Society. Prate is a little old fashioned, but I don’t think it’s obscure. ---
**Author:** ![chela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chela/32/21582_2.png) [@chela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chela)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2026, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-did-the-game-suddenly-turn-left-at-albuquerque-open-game-spoilers/1034659/9 "2026-11-07T15:58:23Z")
Heh my wordless today was Lanky Poach Peart 🤔 Prate 🤦‍♀️ I play for fun I use a different start word everyday, I don’t analyze the probabilities or check past history it’s just an enjoyable pastime. My record looks pretty good, and I learn new words on occasion too. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2026, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-did-the-game-suddenly-turn-left-at-albuquerque-open-game-spoilers/1034659/10 "2026-11-07T16:00:15Z")
Dreck is definitely a word I’ve seen used often enough. I agree with you about the obscurity of the other words, though. > [@Bullitt](#): > > Such a dreck. Such dreck, no a. > [@LSLGuy](#): > > “Dreck” is from Yiddish. Everyone in the US Northeast knows what it is and many people use it routinely. The rest of the USA? Not so much. Oh, maybe that’s why I know it. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2026, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-did-the-game-suddenly-turn-left-at-albuquerque-open-game-spoilers/1034659/11 "2026-11-07T16:12:35Z")
Yeah, **prate** pissed me off because it cost me my 30 day streak. I got **dreck** on my last guess. My approach is to start with 5 of the most commonly used letters in the alphabet: A, E, S, T, and R in some variation (usually I start with **stare** or **tears** ). My sweet spot is normally the 4th guess. ---
**Author:** ![steronz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steronz/32/11765_2.png) [@steronz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steronz)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2026, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-did-the-game-suddenly-turn-left-at-albuquerque-open-game-spoilers/1034659/12 "2026-11-07T16:12:47Z")
Dreck I knew. I lost today because I was picking random letters for \_RATE ---
**Author:** ![SunUp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@SunUp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SunUp)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2026, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-did-the-game-suddenly-turn-left-at-albuquerque-open-game-spoilers/1034659/13 "2026-11-07T17:04:03Z")
I’ve seen “dreck” (or its alternate, drek) used in various science fiction constructed languages over the years - I think it might have been part of Manny’s usage in _The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress_? “Prate” I’ve also seen before, though it’s certainly not super common. I guess it seemed common enough to Palak Shah. ---
**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:** [November 7, 2026, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-did-the-game-suddenly-turn-left-at-albuquerque-open-game-spoilers/1034659/14 "2026-11-07T18:17:37Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > Oh, maybe that’s why I know it. Apparently same. Dreck is a very common “slang” word that my friends and I used all the time in high school and beyond, even still to this day. But it makes sense because Connecticut. ---
**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:** [November 7, 2026, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-did-the-game-suddenly-turn-left-at-albuquerque-open-game-spoilers/1034659/15 "2026-11-07T18:35:01Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > I suspect that they’ve long since run out of “common” = obvious words. And need to avoid getting repetitive by running the same e.g. 200 words over and over. So they’re forced to salt in ever more obscure words to keep the faithful satisfied. And learning. Your assumption of 200 is off by an order of magnitude. If it were that low you’d be absolutely right, but there are plenty of common words to go for years without repeating. Wardle’s original answer list had 2309 possible answers, all pretty darn common. 2309 days is around 6 years, 4 months. You probably don’t want to run through the entire list before restarting, though, to keep the players guessing. Every 4 years or so do an announced reshuffling where all answers are once again valid. Done and done. Adding more obscure words without first reshuffling is both counterproductive and unsustainable. EDIT: Google is telling me that Wordle was published publicly in Oct 2021, and had 90 players as of that Nov 1st. It’s been 1832 days since since that Nov 1st, so we’re probably already past the point when they should have reshuffled. Adding more obscure words shouldn’t have ever been an option. Incidentally, the valid _guess_ list, which includes all 5 letter words, has just shy of 13,000 words. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2026, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-did-the-game-suddenly-turn-left-at-albuquerque-open-game-spoilers/1034659/16 "2026-11-07T19:11:11Z")
> [@Bullitt](#): > > I’m not all that well-read but I think my vocabulary is decent, and I’ve never heard these words before. I’ve certainly never used them For what it’s worth, I know them both. I don’t think of either as more than moderately unusual. > [@Bullitt](#): > > frate, urate, and wrate. Now those, I don’t know. Or at least I didn’t before I read this thread. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2026, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-did-the-game-suddenly-turn-left-at-albuquerque-open-game-spoilers/1034659/17 "2026-11-07T19:11:17Z")
I’m from the Midwest, and I know the word _DRECK_. I was surprised that Wordle used it, though. _PRATE_, I’ve never heard of (nor has my spellcheck, which just changed it to pirate), but after my second guess I was left with P\_ATE and L was aleardy grayed out, so I got lucky. I’m on a 5-day streak of getting the word on the 3rd guess. Ordinarily I’m lucky if I get it on the 3rd guess twice in one week. I don’t even know why I still play, I don’t really like it. I think I hate-play it. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2026, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-did-the-game-suddenly-turn-left-at-albuquerque-open-game-spoilers/1034659/18 "2026-11-07T19:13:51Z")
I got annoyed at the Times and started doing Quordle instead. I don’t feel like it every day, though, so I don’t worry about streaks. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2026, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-did-the-game-suddenly-turn-left-at-albuquerque-open-game-spoilers/1034659/19 "2026-11-07T21:11:44Z")
> [@Bullitt](#): > > Again, prate and dreck are not commonly-known words. I can’t remember a time when I didn’t know them. I bet I saw _dreck_ used a number of times in MAD Magazine back in the mid-1960s when I was a subscriber. If I am correct about that, that would have shared it with lots of people who didn’t live in the Northeast or have Jewish roots. I expect that’s where I originally became familiar with it, but I’ve seen it many times since I let my subscription lapse. My 50 year old American Heritage dictionary defines _prate_ as “to talk idly and at great length; chatter” and my impression of its use is that it’s generally used to describe when someone is stuck having to listen to a person who is prating on. My impression is that its use is less common now than it was 50+ years ago. But I’d certainly regard its use as fair game. Now don’t get me started on LORIS. “I am the Loris, I speak for the shrubbery.” It apparently was a NYT add rather than a word on Josh Wardle’s original list. (More than three dozen of the solutions so far were added by the NYT after they took over management of the game, and weren’t on Josh Wardle’s original solutions list.) ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2026, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-did-the-game-suddenly-turn-left-at-albuquerque-open-game-spoilers/1034659/20 "2026-11-07T21:13:48Z")
> [@Bullitt](#): > > Such a dreck. That would be “such dreck,” tyvm. No ‘a’ in between. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordle-did-the-game-suddenly-turn-left-at-albuquerque-open-game-spoilers/1034659.md?page=2)