Tech Radar
At present’s Wordle reply is so laborious it almost price me my 1,045-game streak – and it is all of the NYT’s fault
Nov
Having a really, very lengthy Wordle streak is a blessing and a curse. On the one hand, it grants me immense bragging rights over these mere mortals with their streaks within the a whole bunch. On the opposite, it turns each sport right into a must-win ordeal. In any case, what would I be with out my Wordle streak? A so-called ‘skilled’ with no credentials, that is what. I might be laughed out of city.
I joke, in fact, however having gone 1,046 video games with no loss I’d somewhat not quit my streak all the identical. I almost needed to right now, although, as a result of sport #1,244 (Thursday, 14 November) almost despatched me again to floor zero.
I am fairly certain I will not be the one one, although – as a result of today’s Wordle answer is undoubtedly a really troublesome one. And it is all of the fault of the New York Occasions’ puzzle setters.
To elucidate why, I am going to must reveal the answer, so do not learn previous this level if you have not performed but, as a result of SPOILERS FOR TODAY’S WORDLE, GAME #1,244, ON THURSDAY, 14 NOVEMBER 2024 will comply with. You may have been warned.
Wordle corridor of disgrace
Let’s begin with a query: what is the hardest Wordle ever? Is it CAULK, one of many first video games to upset 1000’s of avid Wordlers quickly after the sport’s meteoric rise to prominence? Or possibly BORAX, a phrase that many gamers outdoors of the US had nearly no data of? Or JAZZY, with its repeated Zs and very-uncommon J firstly?
None of these, truly – the hardest ever is PARER, sport #454 in September 2022. That is primarily based on the truth that it had a mean rating of 6.3, which to place it in context is half a guess greater than its closest competitor, MUMMY (#491, 5.8).
These common scores come from WordleBot, the in-game AI helper device that analyzes your Wordle after you’ve got performed. In addition to doing that, it information the typical throughout everybody who performs, and in flip I observe down these averages to maintain a form of league desk. I’ve 956 of them listed now, giving me a reasonably good concept of which Wordles folks have discovered most troublesome.
By that measure, right now’s sport is a way down the record of the toughest ever, with a mean of 4.9. Excessive, however not ridiculously so. Nonetheless, that solely tells half of the story.
Proper, let’s get into the specifics now, which suggests revealing right now’s reply. That is your final likelihood to go away and play if you have not accomplished so but.
**FINAL SPOILER ALERT**
Sorry, what?
At present’s reply is UVULA.
No, me neither.
I do form of know what it means, truly. Or at the least I knew earlier than I performed it that it was an actual phrase, albeit a reasonably obscure one with a really unusual spelling. For the unaware, it is the smooth dangly bit between your tonsils behind your throat. I believed it was the ridge on the high of your mouth, possibly, however at the least I used to be in the proper space.
Others won’t be so fortunate. Twitter is already alight with folks complaining that both that they had no concept what it means or that it was simply too obscure.
You’ve got to be kidding me Wordle 1,244 6/6⬜⬜🟨⬜⬜⬜🟨⬜⬜⬜🟨🟨⬜🟨⬜⬜⬜🟩🟨🟨🟨🟨🟩⬜⬜🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩November 13, 2024
Wordle 1.244 X/6⬜🟨⬜🟨⬜🟨🟨⬜⬜⬜⬜🟨🟨⬜⬜🟨⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜🟨⬜⬜🟩🟨🟨🟨⬜🟩How am I imagined to know THAT ???????? #nyt #wordleNovember 13, 2024
In addition to its relative obscurity as a phrase, UVULA suffers from having an extremely uncommon format, with UVU firstly; that is not present in every other reply. Plus, it incorporates two letter Us – and as I present in my analysis of every Wordle answer, that is a really uncommon incidence too, with solely 10 video games among the many authentic 2,309 options having that format.
All of this added as much as make it a really powerful sport. Its common of 4.9 places it simply outdoors of the highest 20, however I believe that is deceptive – persons are most likely fixing it by way of brute drive in the long run, as a result of there aren’t any different phrases which have that format. With a phrase like PARER, in distinction, there are many options and it is subsequently straightforward to maintain guessing till you finally fail. Right here, you’ll in the end attain some extent the place nothing else suits!
That is what occurred to me, anyway. I normally clear up Wordle in about 10-20 minutes, generally 30-40 if it is a troublesome one and I am taking part in rigorously. Right here, I will need to have stared on the board and performed round with varied letter combos for 2 hours. That is genuinely no exaggeration. My household thought I might gone mad.
I almost gave up – I used to be utterly stumped. Nonetheless, I’ve a every day column to jot down so saved going and finally scored a 5. My streak was genuinely unsure, although – I may simply have wasted a few guesses on equally obscure phrases that weren’t right.
NYT blues
So why is that this the NYT’s fault and never mine?
Effectively, it is price noting that that is – for the second day in a row – a non-canon Wordle reply. By that I imply that it was not among the many 2,309 solutions initially dreamed up by the sport’s creator Josh Wardle and his associate, however has as a substitute been added by the NYT.
Yesterday’s PRIMP (see beneath) was additionally one among these, and in complete we have now had 10 of them: GUANO (sport #646), SNAFU (#659), BALSA (#720), KAZOO (#730), LASER (#1038), PIOUS (#1054), BEAUT (#1186) and MOMMY (#1208).
Discover something about these phrases? Sure – they embrace a number of the hardest in current reminiscence.
I can simply work out the typical for Wordle as an entire, and proper now it stands at 3.964 throughout these 956 video games that I’ve a rating for. Nonetheless, in case you take a look at the typical for these 10 video games added by the NYT you will see that it is a mighty 4.35. It is official: the NYT is making Wordle tougher!
There’s a cause for this, in fact – in that Josh Wardle used up a lot of the apparent solutions. LASER (common: 3.3) and PIOUS (3.8) are the one two beneath 4.0, and are additionally the most typical phrases amongst them, MOMMY apart. That final phrase is an outlier, in the meantime, as a result of it incorporates three Ms, an extremely uncommon format (and it had a mean of 5.0 consequently).
Elsewhere, KAZOO was a 5.1, PRIMP yesterday was 4.5, BALSA 4.4 and SNAFU 4.3, so it definitely seems as if the NYT’s editors are selecting more durable phrases when given the possibility.
There’s nothing improper with this, actually – and I like a problem as a lot as anybody. UVULA is a superbly honest phrase, albeit an undeniably troublesome one to resolve in Wordle. However I wasn’t feeling wherever close to as charitable once I was sat watching a seemingly unattainable sport, and I doubt you may be in case you simply misplaced your streak right now, both.
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