My Wordle Obsession

The hieroglyphics below have become a familiar sight to many of us over the past couple of years —

For the benefit of anyone unfamiliar with the rows of five squares, it's the result of a Wordle game.

Wordle is a web-based word game created and developed by Josh Wardle, which he released to the public in October 2021.  The object of the game is to determine the five-letter word that has been selected as that day's solution.  Everyone is trying to find the same word - and you have six guesses to find the solution.

I played my first game on Saturday, January 8, 2022 - and have played (literally) every day since.  The New York Times purchased the game around that time, and it was this takeover that offered a first glimpse into the depths of my Wordle obsession.  

One of the cool things about the game is that it offers a very nice summary of your playing statistics that is automatically updated every time you play.

Although the info above is pretty cool, it has a flaw - it's incomplete.  (If you were playing close attention, you probably already figured that out.  If I've played every day since Jan. 8, 2022, my total games played should be 719 - which it is.)  The explanation?  As part of the NYT's takeover of the game, they warned that statistics from games played prior to their acquisition of Wordle would eventually disappear.  I decided I didn't want my data to disappear.  In fact, I wanted to track data about my Wordle play that the NYT wasn't.

So I created my own Wordle database using Microsoft Access.  The database allowed me to create a report like this.

And this -

I load data on my Wordle play every Monday so that I can have updated information on my statistics, how my play stacks up against the NYT averages, and what words have been used as previous solutions (up to this point, the game has not repeated any solutions.  There are a LOT of five-letter words...)

So now that I've reinforced the point that I'm a complete nerd, let's talk about why I'm telling you all this.  It's because, encouraged by some kind folks in the NYT's Wordle Comments section, I've decided to post my feedback in that forum here - as a means to resuscitate my moribund blog.

I will be delaying posts here by (at least) one day in order to avoid spoiling Wordle play for anyone who happens upon this treasure trove of information.

To quote Fellow Wordler, Bill G.:  There is no wrong way to Wordle.®

UP NEXT:  Christmas Wordling

Take care and stay safe.