7 ms·

The word list being checked against isn't quite the same as whatever Wordle is using for possible guesses (this is mentioned on the page); for example, "DUCKY"

The word list being checked against isn't quite the same as whatever Wordle is using for possible guesses (this is mentioned on the page); for example, "DUCKY" is a valid Wordle guess, but shown as invalid when entered into this tool. The original Wordle word list was contained in plaintext in the game's javascript (which is what is used for this map), however I believe the current version used on NYT is using a different list. I don't know that the current set of guessable possibilities / the list of words possible to be chosen is known. I think some people have mentioned the list may have been expanded.

q845712 4y ago
I clicked on the 'z's and noticed the same for "WHIZZ" I guess the article does say: > Note that these words only represent the list Wordle uses for possible solutions; there are many more guessable 5-letter words.
fsckboy 4y ago
what you say is somewhat correct, but this site says that these are the valid answers, not including the valid guesses, so DUCKY wouldn't be expected here. personally, I'd prefer a tool that included all balid guesses and wouldn't lead me so precisely to answers. there's small c cheating and big C Cheating :) the tweaks introduced by the Times, etc., yes.
- TylerE 4y ago
  Wordle has been trivially cheatable from day one using any of the gazillion scrabble solvers out there. Treat unknown positions as wildcards.
  - samtho 4y ago
    At the risk of sounding like your fourth grade teacher, you’re only cheating yourself. I would argue that using a dictionary is a tactic and one to better help you better play the game by introducing you to the idea of a decision tree. You can ask Wordlebot how you did and see how it approaches the problem with all the knowledge short of knowing the actual word.
    - TylerE 4y ago
      Obviously. I’m not saying I do itZ I was just confused why GP thought being able to cheat at wordle is somehow new.
      - fsckboy 4y ago
        i wasn't thinking it was new, so wasn't trying to say that, i was talking about what constitutes cheating by degrees.
    - ghaff 4y ago
      I did use Word Hippo as a bit of a crutch sometimes when I was starting out and got stuck but haven't looked at it in many months.
    - adrianmonk 4y ago
      It depends on whether you play for the love of puzzles or the love of words. If the appeal is puzzle solving, then you may want to use a dictionary as part of exploring a puzzle solving technique. If the appeal is words, then you may enjoy plumbing the depths of what words you know, why you know them, and how they are put together.
hn_throwaway_99 4y ago
The important point is that there are 2 lists: 1. Words that can be entered as valid guesses 2. Words that are ever used as solutions in Wordle I think this is a great design choice (and IIRC was part of the original game). That is, Wordle doesn't want to use really obscure or uncommon slang words as the solution, as that would make the game less enjoyable (I wouldn't like it so much if the solution was a word I'd never heard of). But, when I get stuck and can't think of a word that will fit as my next guess, sometimes I just go into "mash keyboard mode" so hopefully I'll find something that will fit and get more information about the solution. More often than not something fits, and I'm usually surprised my guess is an actual word. So, to your point, DUCKY is a valid guess but will never be an actual solution in Wordle.
- CamperBob2 4y ago
  I'm still sore over HUNKY.
  - ghaff 4y ago
    Slangy words seem to be one area where Wordle can be all over the map where something may be a valid solution or it may not even be a valid guess.
- mortenjorck 4y ago
  While I had kind of intuited this (I’ve developed my strategy over time to always favor the more common word when choosing among multiple possibilities), I didn’t realize some of the places where Wordle cuts its solution set. Specifically, I somehow never noticed that solutions are never s-suffixed plural, but you can clearly see it in the visualization if you try entering a word with four letters.
  - carlmr 4y ago
    >I somehow never noticed that solutions are never s-suffixed plural This is something I noticed that improved my wordle scores a lot.

q845712 4y ago

I clicked on the 'z's and noticed the same for "WHIZZ" I guess the article does say: > Note that these words only represent the list Wordle uses for possible solutions; there are many more guessable 5-letter words.

fsckboy 4y ago

what you say is somewhat correct, but this site says that these are the valid answers, not including the valid guesses, so DUCKY wouldn't be expected here. personally, I'd prefer a tool that included all balid guesses and wouldn't lead me so precisely to answers. there's small c cheating and big C Cheating :) the tweaks introduced by the Times, etc., yes.

TylerE 4y ago
Wordle has been trivially cheatable from day one using any of the gazillion scrabble solvers out there. Treat unknown positions as wildcards.
- samtho 4y ago
  At the risk of sounding like your fourth grade teacher, you’re only cheating yourself. I would argue that using a dictionary is a tactic and one to better help you better play the game by introducing you to the idea of a decision tree. You can ask Wordlebot how you did and see how it approaches the problem with all the knowledge short of knowing the actual word.
  - TylerE 4y ago
    Obviously. I’m not saying I do itZ I was just confused why GP thought being able to cheat at wordle is somehow new.
    - fsckboy 4y ago
      i wasn't thinking it was new, so wasn't trying to say that, i was talking about what constitutes cheating by degrees.
  - ghaff 4y ago
    I did use Word Hippo as a bit of a crutch sometimes when I was starting out and got stuck but haven't looked at it in many months.
  - adrianmonk 4y ago
    It depends on whether you play for the love of puzzles or the love of words. If the appeal is puzzle solving, then you may want to use a dictionary as part of exploring a puzzle solving technique. If the appeal is words, then you may enjoy plumbing the depths of what words you know, why you know them, and how they are put together.

hn_throwaway_99 4y ago

The important point is that there are 2 lists: 1. Words that can be entered as valid guesses 2. Words that are ever used as solutions in Wordle I think this is a great design choice (and IIRC was part of the original game). That is, Wordle doesn't want to use really obscure or uncommon slang words as the solution, as that would make the game less enjoyable (I wouldn't like it so much if the solution was a word I'd never heard of). But, when I get stuck and can't think of a word that will fit as my next guess, sometimes I just go into "mash keyboard mode" so hopefully I'll find something that will fit and get more information about the solution. More often than not something fits, and I'm usually surprised my guess is an actual word. So, to your point, DUCKY is a valid guess but will never be an actual solution in Wordle.

CamperBob2 4y ago
I'm still sore over HUNKY.
- ghaff 4y ago
  Slangy words seem to be one area where Wordle can be all over the map where something may be a valid solution or it may not even be a valid guess.
mortenjorck 4y ago
While I had kind of intuited this (I’ve developed my strategy over time to always favor the more common word when choosing among multiple possibilities), I didn’t realize some of the places where Wordle cuts its solution set. Specifically, I somehow never noticed that solutions are never s-suffixed plural, but you can clearly see it in the visualization if you try entering a word with four letters.
- carlmr 4y ago
  >I somehow never noticed that solutions are never s-suffixed plural This is something I noticed that improved my wordle scores a lot.