Wordle Lovers - Play the NYT Daily Game

[kuruman]

This is an update to the survey I announced three moths ago here. As of now I have found paths to 7240 words or 55.8% of the total. So far, all but two subgroups of words can be solved with my 4-word initial filter
CARED BEWIG LUMPY KNOTS
with no more than a total of 7 guesses. Both subgroups are highly degenerate.

The first group has 12 members:
BARED CARED DARED EARED FARED HARED OARED PARED RARED SARED TARED WARED
I consider this an "accidental degeneracy" in that one of the four words in the filter belongs to the group the members which differ by only the first letter. This means branching out to a special set of filters conditional to the first guess of CARED returning _ ARED. The conditional filter provides solutions to all 12 members with no more than 6 guesses.

The second group is a subgroup of 76 words matching the pattern _ E _ TS. My initial 4-word filter reduces their number to 11:
FESTS FETTS HEFTS HESTS JESTS SETTS SEXTS TESTS TEXTS VESTS ZESTS

After substantial exploring, I was able to find filters that provide paths to solving all but 2 words in seven guesses or fewer. The two outliers are JESTS and TESTS which are doubly-degenerate after the 6th guess. This means that if either one is the target word, the solver has to get lucky and guess right in a 50-50 situation but there is no guaranteed path in no more than 7. In the frequency table on the right the 2 scores of 7.5 correspond to these two words.

I will keep plugging away. It's been fun so far and I have learned quite a few new words.

---

N.B. I googled HEST and I found that, according to Merriam-Webster, it is an archaic form that means bidding or precept. I then clicked the link "How do you use HEST in a sentence?" and was taken to the following AI-generated gem:
"Amy Hest gently and expertly explores these themes in The Summer We Found the Baby.”
(sigh!)

 

[jack action]

Wordle 1,407 3/6

[ARISE] 12 left
[LYMPH] filter - 2 left: CLASH SLASH
[CLASH] most probable

I wanted to use the answer as my second guess. All the letters were input; all I had to do was press "enter." However, I chickened out and decided to go with the better filter suggested by my program.

most-probable method count update (Success/Fail): 76/44 - 63.3%/36.7%

 

[OmCheeto]

Wordle 1,408 4/6

TAMER 74
SLING 4 COUPE, DEUCE, WEEDY, BEECH
DEUCE 1

 

[Orodruin]

Wordle 1 408 4/6

 

[martinbn]

Wordle 1,408 4/6

 

[dwarde]

Currently the thread below this one is "How does your garden grow"

Wordle 1,408 5/6

 

[jack action]

Wordle 1,408 4/6

[ARISE] 51 left
[TONAL] filter - 4 left: BEECH EMBED GEEKY WEEDY
[GEEKY] most probable - 1 left
[WEEDY]

most-probable method count update (Success/Fail): 76/45 - 62.8%/37.2%

 

[OmCheeto]

Wordle 1,409 4/6

SNORE 113
LAITY 8
DUMPY 1

 

[martinbn]

Wordle 1,409 3/6

 

[Orodruin]

Wordle 1 409 4/6

 

[dwarde]

Oh great I even clicked on the wrong thread today and I was wondering why everyone was posting jokes.

Wordle 1,409 5/6

 

[jack action]

Wordle 1,409 4/6

[ARISE] 70 left
[LOUSY] filter - 10 left: BUNNY DUMMY DUMPY JUMPY MUDDY NUTTY PUDGY PUFFY PUPPY PUTTY
[DEMPT] filter - 1 left
[DUMMY]

 

[OmCheeto]

Wordle 1,410 3/6

AIDER 53
STOLN 1

 

[Orodruin]

Wordle 1 410 3/6

 

[martinbn]

Wordle 1,410 5/6

 

[jack action]

Wordle 1,410 3/6

[ARISE] 5 left: BLISS FOIST HOIST JOIST NOISY
[HOIST] filter - 1 left
[BLISS]

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/04/25/magazine/hodgeman-quiz.html :

Judge John Hodgman​

What Constitutes Cheating at Wordle?​

Timothy writes: My friends text me their Wordle skeletons after they finish. And because I know some of their starting words, I can figure out some letters and positions, which helps me out. Some of my friends say that’s cheating. I think it’s smart and fun.

What will Judge Hodgman rule?

A: It’s not against the rules, so go ahead. But don’t be surprised that your friends don’t like it. They are sharing their Wordle results to show off how smart they are, not help you.

B: How else do you define cheating? You’re using information your friends didn’t have to get a better score. It’s essentially insider trading, and while I guess no one gets punished for that anymore, Wordle should be better than real life.

C: Not cheating. There is no shame in using an advantage that is freely offered. When society collapses and you’re playing Wordle to the death for food scrip and mating privileges, you will be glad to have learned this.

 

[Orodruin]

I mean, if the friends wanted to prevent this they’d just have to erase the guesses part and send only “3/6” - or send it the next day. Why would you send a message that is not to be read?

The more interesting question would be if discarding previous solutions and using the list of possible solutions is “cheating”

 

[dwarde]

Wordle 1,410 3/6

 

[Orodruin]

Wordle 1 411 3/6

 

[OmCheeto]

Wordle 1,411 3/6

LAMER 6
FLIER 1

 

[martinbn]

Wordle 1,411 5/6

 

[jack action]

Wordle 1,411 3/6

[ARISE] 12 left
[VIPER] possible answer + filter - 1 left
[IDLER]

 

[dwarde]

Wordle 1,411 5/6

 

[OmCheeto]

Wordle 1,412 3/6

GLARE 13
TOKEN 1

 

[Orodruin]

Wordle 1 412 2/6




Nice!

 

[martinbn]

Wordle 1,412 4/6

 

[dwarde]

Wordle 1,412 3/6

 

[jack action]

Wordle 1,412 2/6

[ARISE] 6 left: ABLED ADEPT ALLEY AMEND ANNEX APNEA
[ADEPT] possible answer + filter

 

[Orodruin]

Wordle 1 413 3/6





It sure as h*** wasn’t going to be OBESE … which was the second word I could choose from for guess 3.

 

[OmCheeto]

Wordle 1,413 4/6

LATER 53
SUING 6
POESY 1

 

[jack action]

Wordle 1,413 3/6

[ARISE] 10 left: COPSE DENSE GEESE LOOSE NOOSE OBESE POSSE PULSE TENSE WHOSE
[PELON] filter - 2 left: OBESE WHOSE
[WHOSE] most probable

most-probable method count update (Success/Fail): 77/45 - 63.1%/36.9%

 

[dwarde]

Wordle 1,413 4/6

 

[martinbn]

Wordle 1,413 4/6

 

[OmCheeto]

Wordle 1,414 2/6

YEAST 1


That didn't take long.

 

[jack action]

Wordle 1,414 4/6

[ARISE] 11 left
[LYMPH] filter - 2 left
[PANSY] most probable
[PATSY]

most-probable method count update (Success/Fail): 77/46 - 62.6%/37.4%

 

[dwarde]

Wordle 1,414 3/6

 

[martinbn]

Wordle 1,414 4/6

 

[OmCheeto]

Wordle 1,415 4/6

SANER 50
OCULI 2
FORUM 1

 

[sbrothy]

Wordle 1,415 3/6*

Spoiler

I admit some luck was involved here.

 

[jack action]

Wordle 1,415 3/6

[ARISE] 49 left
[PUTON] filter - 2 left: TROUT GROUT
[TROUT] most probable

most-probable method count update (Success/Fail): 78/46 - 62.9%/37.1%

 

[dwarde]

Wordle 1,415 3/6

 

[martinbn]

Wordle 1,415 5/6

 

[Orodruin]

Wordle 1 416 3/6

 

[OmCheeto]

Wordle 1,416 3/6

STEAL 25
PINKO 1

 

[martinbn]

Wordle 1,416 6/6

 

[dwarde]

Wordle 1,416 5/6

 

[jack action]

Wordle 1,416 3/6

[ARISE] 10 left: FLUSH FUSSY GHOST GLOSS GYPSY HUSSY LOUSY PLUSH SHUSH SLUSH
[LOUSY] filter - 1 left
[SHUSH]

 

[Orodruin]

Wordle 1 417 3/6





It was my favourite after the seed and a seed I used to use - but it was the worst possible filter among the others …

 

[OmCheeto]

Wordle 1,417 3/6

SIREN 6
MUZAK 1

 

[martinbn]

Wordle 1,417 4/6