How to improve your Wordle strategy
“Is getting Wordle in only two or three guesses just luck or are there some strategies one can use for this game? Are starting words that use three or four vowels the best way to begin?” — Susie, Duluth, Minn. From Christina: Getting Wordle in two guesses is quite heavily based on luck rather than skill. However, getting Wordle in three guesses is based much more on skill. It may seem counterintuitive, but one of the best strategies you can use to get Wordle in three guesses more often is to not try to get it in two. By ignoring the green and yellow squares in the first guess and picking a second word that has five unique letters, you’re much more likely to get Wordle in three guesses. With this strategy, your first two guesses will contain 10 different letters, including ideally four or five vowels. In the final round of “Wheel of Fortune,” contestants begin with the letters R, S, T, L, N and E, which are some of the most common letters in the English language. Words that contain these letters tend to be strong Wordle guesses as well. Other common letters are the vowels A, O and I, and the consonants H, C and D. Picking consonants that are commonly paired with other letters can be another good strategy. Think of letters that are frequently parts of blends, like BL, CL, DR, PR, CR, TR, SH, ST, WH or CH. Wordle Bot’s top recommended guesses, like CRANE and SLATE, often include these blends. If you used CRANE as your first guess and learned that there was an R, you might then guess a word that has other letters commonly paired with R, like B, T, D and P. The word DOUBT would be a strong follow-up guess, since it has two new vowels, along with three consonants that commonly pair with R. If that sounds too stressful to think about, you’re not alone. Some people prefer to take the strategy out of the game and just guess whatever their hearts desire. Tracy Bennett, the Wordle editor, likes the game to feel whimsical and tells solvers to guess whatever word they feel drawn to in the moment. If you feel compelled to throw strategy out the window and guess PIZZA or QUILT, it will feel especially exciting if one of those is the word!
Solve Friday’s Crossword on Easy Mode!
In today’s Wordplay column, Sam Corbin writes about her reasons to love themeless puzzles. For expert hints on today’s puzzle, read her column. Were you able to solve the Friday puzzle with Easy Mode? We want your input! Share your experience with us on the X platform, on Threads or by email. A Quick Cool-DownHow fast can you solve today’s Mini?
Get a ClueMy favorite clue from last week is 30-Across from Saturday, Nov. 15. I like when the playfulness of a clue comes across by saying it out loud. 30-Across: Win dough?
How are we doing? Thanks for playing! Subscribe to New York Times Games. If you were forwarded this newsletter, you can sign up to receive it regularly here. P.S. The answer to Get a Clue is PRIZE MONEY.
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