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 lots of. On the opposite, it turns each recreation 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 might moderately not surrender my streak all the identical. I almost needed to at present, although, as a result of recreation #1,244 (Thursday, 14 November) almost despatched me again to floor zero.
I am fairly positive I will not be the one one, although – as a result of at present’s Wordle reply is undoubtedly a really troublesome one. And it is all of the fault of the New York Occasions’ puzzle setters.
To clarify 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 observe. You’ve got 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 perhaps BORAX, a phrase that many gamers outdoors of the USA had virtually no data of? Or JAZZY, with its repeated Zs and very-uncommon J at first?
None of these, really – the hardest ever is PARER, recreation #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 software that analyzes your Wordle after you’ve got performed. In addition to doing that, it data the typical throughout everybody who performs, and in flip I notice down these averages to maintain a kind of league desk. I’ve 956 of them listed now, giving me a reasonably good thought of which Wordles folks have discovered most troublesome.
By that measure, at present’s recreation is a way down the checklist of the toughest ever, with a mean of 4.9. Excessive, however not ridiculously so. Nevertheless, that solely tells half of the story.
Proper, let’s get into the specifics now, which suggests revealing at present’s reply. That is your final probability to go away and play if you have not executed so but.
**FINAL SPOILER ALERT**
Sorry, what?
As we speak’s reply is UVULA.
No, me neither.
I do kind of know what it means, really. Or at the very 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 delicate dangly bit between your tonsils behind your throat. I believed it was the ridge on the high of your mouth, perhaps, however at the very least I used to be in the fitting space.
Others is not going to be so fortunate. Twitter is already alight with folks complaining that both they’d no thought 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 at first; that is not present in some other reply. Plus, it comprises two letter Us – and as I present in my evaluation of each Wordle reply, that is a really uncommon prevalence 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 robust recreation. Its common of 4.9 places it simply outdoors of the highest 20, however I believe that is deceptive – individuals are most likely fixing it by brute power ultimately, as a result of there aren’t any different phrases which have that format. With a phrase like PARER, in distinction, there are many alternate options and it is due to this fact simple to maintain guessing till you ultimately fail. Right here, you’ll finally attain some extent the place nothing else matches!
That is what occurred to me, anyway. I normally resolve 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 numerous letter mixtures 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. Nevertheless, I’ve a each day column to jot down so stored going and ultimately scored a 5. My streak was genuinely unsure, although – I might simply have wasted a few guesses on equally obscure phrases that weren’t appropriate.
NYT blues
So why is that this the NYT’s fault and never mine?
Properly, it is value 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 an alternative been added by the NYT.
Yesterday’s PRIMP (see under) was additionally one in all these, and in whole we have now had 10 of them: GUANO (recreation #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 latest 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. Nevertheless, if you happen to take a look at the typical for these 10 video games added by the NYT you may see that it is a mighty 4.35. It is official: the NYT is making Wordle tougher!
There’s a motive 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 under 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 comprises three Ms, an extremely uncommon format (and it had a mean of 5.0 because of this).
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 unsuitable with this, actually – and I like a problem as a lot as anybody. UVULA is a wonderfully honest phrase, albeit an undeniably troublesome one to unravel in Wordle. However I wasn’t feeling wherever close to as charitable once I was sat looking at a seemingly inconceivable recreation, and I doubt you’ll be if you happen to simply misplaced your streak at present, both.
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