How to Become a Wordle Expert
While the hype around Wordle has certainly tapered off, this daily puzzle is likely still a part of many people's morning routines. After all, it's addictive when you have a streak going, and it's even more exciting when you can solve it in three guesses or less. But what are the best—and worst—tips and tricks to beat this daily brain teaser? Well, we've compiled them for you. Here are the 10 best Wordle strategies to use—and the 10 worst.
1. Use a Vowel-Ridden Word
You already know this: using a word with lots of vowels as your first guess is probably your best bet. After all, there are only a little over 100 words in the English language that don't contain vowels. So, using a word like "audio" or "adieu" is usually a good starting point.
2. Avoid Repeat Letters
When you're limited to six tries to figure out a five-letter word, it's likely not a good strategy to riddle your guesses with double or repeat letters—especially not on the first go. Words like "shell" or "evade" may make good attempts, but you'll have to eliminate some letters first.
3. Use Guesses to Eliminate Letters
Don't be afraid to use your guesses to eliminate letters. Unless you're trying to get it correct right from the get-go, use your guesses to cross out as many letters of the alphabet as you can—like brick, flame, shunt, womby, or podgy—to narrow down the letters contained in the final answer.
4. Avoid Plurals
Like double or repeated letters, try to avoid using plurals; while not impossible, it's unlikely that the answer will be a plural. That's, of course, not to say that the answer might not end in an S, but guessing a word like "backs" or "fears" might not be the best.
5. Write Out a List of Possible Combinations
If you're struggling and need to picture it visually, grab a pen and a sheet of paper and jot down some words. No one says you can't treat it like a crossword. Writing down possible combinations while taking into account your previous guesses will better inform your subsequent attempts.
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6. Use Strategic Words for the First Two Guesses
Some people claim there are "magic" words you can use for your first two guesses that will lead you to the right answer every time. And that just might be true—after all, this strategy involves using words with the most common letters. Try it for yourself: derby, train, close, arose, unity, flank, ghost.
7. Ignore Correct Letters
This might sound contradicting, but as you guess, ignore the correct letters in green. Again, you want to focus on eliminating letters with your guesses; paying too much attention to what words you should be guessing based on the hints might just end up stumping you further.
8. Guess Common Words
This probably goes without saying: guess common words. Don't fling out random terms like "xylyl" (yes, that's a real word) or "immix" at Wordle. If it helps, find a list that compiles the most popular words in the English language. (For a hint, the most common letters in the English alphabet are T, N, S, R, H, L, D, C, P, and E. Don't worry, it's not cheating; it's called being strategic.)
9. Don't Forget Consonant Blends
As you're guessing, don't forget consonant blends or consonant-vowel pairs. This means words that contain letter pairs like "br," "sc," "tr," "qu," and more (like brine, scale, train, quiet). Some of these blends are much more common in words than others, and knowing which ones will prove helpful as you type in your guesses.
10. Read More
Grab a book, a magazine, or the daily newspaper and read it. The more you read, the more words you're exposed to and the more terms you'll know. On the other hand, if you barely read at all, it might be harder to find which five-letter words to guess and may lead to making some bad attempts. With that said, let's jump into the 10 worst strategies to use for Wordle.
1. Using Words With Repeat Letters
We've mentioned it, but it's worth bringing up again: try to avoid using repeat letters. This is especially important when you're making the first guess. You don't want to be using words like "bless" or "wheel" on your initial try.
2. Repeating Greyed-Out Letters
This should go without saying, but if a letter is greyed out, don't use it again. That'll only lead you to wasting your guesses. The same goes for yellow letters: don't use words where the same letters end back up in the yellow position. Instead, if you're trying to test out if there's a double of that letter, test it with a different word that switches the positions up.
3. Using Plurals from the Get-Go
We've also mentioned this, but using plurals from the get-go is a big no-no. Words like "acids" or "bells" are likely not going to make great guesses. Unless you've exhausted almost all of your tries and the answer seems to be a plural, avoid them.
4. Always Starting With the Same Word
We know—when you've got that perfect starting word, whether it's riddled with vowels or common letters, or it's just your favorite word to use, you don't want to change it. But sticking to the same word every time might hinder more than help you.
5. Guessing at Random
Just like how you shouldn't be guessing odd, uncommon words like "hyphy" or "oxbow," you should also not be throwing out random words and ignoring the hints you're given. Doing this will just waste your attempts.
6. Don't Guess Slang Terms
While you might be tempted to guess words like "slaps" or "gucci," Wordle doesn't accept slang terms. It's also a good idea to leave out proper names or place names, unless they have more than one meaning.
7. Don't Use Rare Letters
Along with avoiding uncommon words, it's also a waste of a try to guess terms with rare letters. The most uncommon letters in the English alphabet are Q, X, and Z, where Q is almost always followed by U. So if you're attempting words like, again, "xylyl," you're not doing yourself any favors.
8. Repeating the Same Word Form
If you're constantly repeating the same word form—train, brain, drain, grain—it's not helpful unless you're sure at least three of those letters are correct and in the right order. If the only hint you have is that the second or third letter is correct, guessing words that have the same form will probably not yield any more clues.
9. Ignoring Prefixes and Suffixes
Prefixes ("un-"; "re-"; "en-"; "-ir") and suffixes ("-er"; "-ed"; "-ing"; "-ic") are also found in many common words. Skipping, or not knowing, this fact could cost you valuable guesses and limit your options.
10. Google the Answer
Don't give in so easily. While Wordle is challenging, the worst thing to do is to just search up the answer. It's a puzzle that's meant to be fun and tease your brain, so have fun with it! If you're really stumped, play with friends and family instead so you can get some extra clues.
