Wordle and Word Tips

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Recently I started playing Wordle again and I have a win streak of thirty four days. Now that I have written this down I will lose it within a day or two, for being too confident. Some people have been playing for over 1000 days and I would assume that within two or three guesses they will get the right word.

I am not that fast. I followed some programming courses on Linkedin Learning, Udemy and one or two other places so as I played wordle I thought "what if I use a tool to help me eliminate words. At first I tried using AI for this task but AI is not good at such chores.

As I looked for other solutions I came across wordhippo and others. I used it for a while but it wasn’t quite what I wanted. I stumbled onto word tips, and then it suggested the wordle solver.

Some people might accuse me of cheating but I do not see it that way. If anything I am saving time. My strategy would be the same, with and without that tool. I try a word. See which letters are right for the word, but in the wrong place, and I guess according to the new data I get at each try.

Sometimes my strategy fails and it takes me six or more guesses. Other times I guess within three to five guesses. I try to use new letters, and known letters for every guess.

I also use the Games app on Android for Wordle so when I finish a Wordle I can see what the Wordle bot would have tried, and see what advice it gives me. In playing with wordle, using Word Tips and the integrated bot to analyse how lucky and skilled I was I am learning about the right words to use and when, as well as expanding the words I use more regularly.

With the Wordle Archive you can play all previous games, back to June 2021 if you’re inclined. It’s because I play regularly that I looked for tools to speed up the game.

Before using the app it could take a while to think of relevant words. At one time it could have been fun to spend half an hour trying to guess, but in this day and age it’s nice to be slightly faster.

If people play the NYTimes Crossword puzzle, or the Times of England crossword puzzle they get fast, because they get to know the answers to all the questions, over time. I haven’t played for years in a row, so I use tools that help. It could be classed as cheating to play crosswords like that but in the age of AI we’re teaching ourselves. The real mark of progress is needing less and less help with time.

Ideally i use Word Tips now, but in a few weeks, or a few months I expect not to require that help. This skill is not useful, but it’s still a daily habit that encourages to expand our vocabulary and maybe even our spelling.

And Finally

If I was being timed, and competing against someone else, then I would not use hints or tips, but since I am challenging myself and trying to find the best words, I am on a learning journey. Remember, if it was worth training a bot to compete with people, and get big data on how people played, then strategy is key, thus the value in playing with assistance, for a while.