Get the most out of your guesses.
Wordle was the hot topic of conversation as 2022 kicked off and its popularity has only grown. Whether or not you’ve joined in on the fun, odds are, you’ve heard of the word puzzle game by now. Since the game only gives you six tries to guess the right five-letter word, you may not always solve it. If you’re hype about the game but want to learn how to get better at playing it, here are the best Wordle tips and tricks to help you feel like you’ve hacked the game.
Wordle’s squares and scores started trending on Twitter in late December 2021 when the “share to Twitter” feature launched, and there was a massive spike in shares in January 2022. Software engineer Josh Wardle first created the game in October 2021 for his partner, Palak Shah. However, once his inner circle started playing it, it was clear to him he’d created something other people would like to play. Cut to a New York Times interview and numerous tweets raving about the game, and Wordle was solidified as a viral hit.
The game gives you six chances to guess the five-letter word of the day, and the puzzle resets daily. When you enter a word, you’ll see squares of colors corresponding to what’s in the answer word. So, for example, when a square is green, you have the correct letter in the right spot, whereas a yellow square means that the letter is in the answer word, but you don’t have it in the correct place. Finally, a gray letter means it isn’t in the answer word. For those who haven’t played the game yet, you’ll need to head to the official website and give it a try.
Whether you’ve been playing for a while or you’re just starting, here are some of the best tips and hacks to help you become a pro solver.
How To Choose A Good First Word
The first guess out of six is one of the most important because it can set you up for success. As with a game of classic Hangman, you may want to try using a word that features two or three vowels to get a feel for what the answer includes. Words that might make a good starting point can also include common consonants such as “T,” “R,” or “S,” since they show up in the English language at a higher rate than their counterparts, per a 2009 puzzle tips article from NPR.
With that in mind, a good guess that will set the foundation could be a word like “about,” “audio,” “media,” “alien,” “stare,” or “trial.”
Don’t Reuse Gray Letters
When your guesses yield some gray letters, remember not to use them again. It may seem obvious, but when you’re brainstorming, you might end up with words that contain letters you’ve already ruled out.
Avoid reusing letters you know aren’t in the word because it’ll help you get closer to the answer and potentially rule out other letters you haven’t tried yet.
Use The Most Common Letters
Maybe you’ve used three vowels in your first word guess and now have a feel for a letter or two of the answer word. From there, you may want to try to eliminate other common letters in the English alphabet. Per Reader’s Digest, the top 10 letters that appear in the Concise Oxford English Dictionary include “E,” “A,” “R,” “I,” “O,” “T,” “N,” “S,” “L,” and “C.”
Whether or not you made the most of your first guess, you may want to use a five-letter word that combines some of these common letters in your next guess. For example, try something like “lions,” “clean,” “clone,” “acorn,” or “lance” if you want to fit in five of the most common letters in one go.
Don’t Hit “Enter” For Every Guess
If you have an idea what the answer might be but are short on guesses, you can fill out a word without hitting “Enter.” This brainstorming may help you figure out the word without running out of chances.
To delete a word without submitting it, just hit the back button on your phone or computer keyboard to delete the letters.
Repeat Letters Can Show Up In Different Ways
You probably know a Wordle answer can include duplicate letters, but they can appear in different ways, such as twice in a row or in a non-consecutive manner. So far, in January 2022, there have been several answers including duplicate letters in various patterns like “truss,” “gorge,” “banal,” and “boost,” which are listed on Pro Game Guides’ online Wordle answer database (Pro tip: don’t check the site if you don’t want to spoil your current daily puzzle).
It’s unclear if a Wordle may include three repeat letters.
Don’t Use The Same Letter Twice In Your First Few Guesses
Although it’s important to be aware that the answer might have the same letter in it twice, as in an “S” in “bless,” you’ll want to refrain from guessing words with duplicate letters in your first three guesses. These first three are super helpful for eliminating letters from your options, and if you waste squares with the same letter, you’ll miss out on valuable guess space. With that in mind, it’s more of a gamble to use repeat letters in your first guesses.
Of course, if you do try a word like “hello” and find that you’ve got two green squares for the l’s, then you’re that much closer to the correct answer, so there’s always an exception.
Once you’ve played Wordle a few times, you’re set to become a pro with these tips.
