Like everyone else I know, I now play Wordle. I started sometime in January, and I treasure that small dose of satisfaction at solving the puzzle as a bright start to my day.
When do I Wordle? If I wake during the night, I might pull out my tablet and Wordle away. If I sleep well, I do the puzzle as part of my morning routine with the local newspaper and my journal over breakfast. Occasionally, I don’t have time until lunch, or even evening, but typically, my Wordle is solved by 9:00 am.
How do I Wordle? I have a few preferred starting words, but I have no reason to choose one over the other. ADIEU offers lots of vowels up front. ROAST has more frequently used consonants. ALIEN is another good choice. Once I have my first word, I choose a second word that fits what I’ve learned. No strategy here—it’s whatever occurs to me. If my second choice wasn’t the word of the day (and it almost never is), then I pause and reflect and work out the logic for the third word. That is where I put in the most effort. I am often rewarded with all green letters, but if not, then I puzzle out the fourth word, making sure I have used everything I’ve learned thus far. And I hope I’m right. If not, I have a fifth and sixth opportunity, though by then I’m clenching my teeth.
Do I Wordle well? Reasonably so, I think. Most days, I guess the word on the third or fourth try. Occasionally, when I am lucky, the second. Sometimes, the fifth. And on very frightening days, the sixth and last possibility. I have not missed yet in the word for the day, but I have lost a couple of archive rounds. Those come from days when the word had many rhyming options, and I chose the wrong rhymes first.
Do I share Wordle? Hardly ever. My daughter and I have exchanged a couple of pictures, but I do wordle for myself and not for the world. Plus, what if I do lose some day? Why would I want to publish my failure for all to see? (I have saved a few recent Wordle pictures for this post, but generally I don’t bother.)
Why do I Wordle? It involves words and logic and strategy. What’s not to like? And it takes less time than crossword puzzles or sudoku.
I worry that Wordle will lose its charm, now that it is part of the New York Times universe. But as long as that jolt of success is free, I will keep it a part of my day.
Do you Wordle?
Pride goeth before a fall. After boasting about not losing a Wordle daily puzzle in this post on Wednesday, I lost Thursday’s puzzle. It was another one where I had all the letters except one. I had three more guesses. But there were four viable choices. I guessed wrong.
I was not alone in my frustration with Thursday’s puzzle. See here: https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/life/entertainment/a39121965/wordle-today-game-243-answer-twitter-reaction/
Wordle? Oh, yes! and https://www.quordle.com/#/ too