Worlde is a fun word game, but not necessarily an easy one. Sometimes we need a little help. Think of me as your Wordle Yoda. I want to help you solve Wordle's answer #261.
What follows is a clue-based guide that can help you get Wordle off to a great start, off the ground, or lead to a quick victory. You decide how you use my tips and tricks.
Wordle, now owned by The New York Times, asks you to guess a five-letter word in six tries. Correct letter guesses appear in orange. The correct letters in the correct place appear in green. Unless he is playing on "hard mode", he does not have to use guessed letters on subsequent tries.
For those who don't want my help, just answers, you can check out Wordle's answer today. However, I bet you'll come back here for more of my sage advice.
What I teach here is not the only method for every Wordle victory. Instead, we'll create a toolbox. Part of your training is understanding the difference between vowels and consonants, and why certain combinations of the two make more (or less) sense than others.
I will teach you to look, with a more analytical eye, at what you have won and lost in each round. Remember that every guess counts, even the wrong ones.
Feel free to share these tips with others, if you want them to beat you at Wordle.
Spoiler alert: If you don't want to know today's wordle answer, STOP READING IMMEDIATELY.
A new beginning
Over the weekend, I only Wordled on Saturday (resolved in four), trying to preserve my brain power for a good start today. I also learned that my wife starts her games almost the same way I do: with a word that "just occurs to me."
She struggles with some of the same words I do, but has been known to "solve in three" more often than I do. Maybe she should write this diary.
If I learned anything last week (#258 "Go") it's to slow down and relax. I can get quite tense when resolving a Wordle, especially when trying to give you a move for move.
Today's mantra is deep breathing.
1. Choose the first correct word
Your biggest jump will always be that first word. I can pick any five-letter word, but I generally reject any double-letter words, according to our guide on how to win at Wordle.
There are two goals: get as many correct letters as possible in the correct places, and miraculously guess the word on the first try. So far, I have never achieved the latter.
While I want to practice patience and not jump to conclusions about word choice, I have a starter word ready: RARE. I know, why this word?
1) It occurred to me
2) It has two vowels ("E" and "I")
3) I like the "D", it has potential
4) I don't often try "W"
5) It is as good as any other word
2. RD is in the right place
It's not terrible. It's not often that you get two letters right and in the right position at first glance. On the other hand, there are a LOT of words that end in "RD."
My job may be cut off.
If I decide to follow Wordle's hardmode restrictions (I don't officially play hardmode), I'll have to use "RD" in my next guess. However, knowing which letters are now excluded, "WEI", you could take a complete guess.
3. Time to consider new vowels
I feel like I'm in a great position here. The two letters at the end give me a solid direction, as does the exclusion of two vowels and that "W".
I scan my remaining letters for a few minutes and find the "B". Almost immediately, one word comes to mind: BOARD. It's a good choice because they're new letters and even if I'm wrong, I've discarded one to three more letters and I'm in a better position for my third guess.
I press "Enter".
4. _OARD is almost here
You'd think that having four letters in the right place would be a golden ticket to "solve in three". It should be, but there can be multiple words that look like this: _OARD.
5. It must start with a consonant... but which one?
I quickly realize that there are not many options here. I try to follow my new mantra of pausing, breathing, and not jumping to conclusions. I want it done in three.
The initial letter must be a consonant. I have several to choose from: "P", "S", "F", "G" and more. As you may have noticed, none of them work. "H" does.
I type "HOARD" and confidently press "Enter".
Done in three... or four
Listen, I'm not going to lie. Getting Wordle #261 in three was smart and lucky. I started strong and had a great second guess. Basically, I was one letter away from getting it on Mythic Two.
It's time to go celebrate but not to rack up my winnings.
(*two*)
(Image credit: future)