EXPEL-led

Here's my post on the New York Time's Wordle Review comments for yesterday.

Wordle 955 4/6

⬜⬜⬜⬜🟨 SHONE  496 WL

⬜⬜⬜⬜🟩 TRAIL        10 WL

⬜🟨⬜🟩🟩 LEVEL         2 WL

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 EXPEL

WordleBot

Skill 99/99

Luck 40/99

Streak 706

Another day, another 4+ NYT Wordle average.  January is “going out like a lion.”  (It hurt me a little to use that phrase, I admit it.)

Guess #1 yielded only E (out of position) AGAIN, for the third day in a row.  Guess #2 provided only the L (in position this time -- yesterday, it was out of position).  My out-of-control record keeping provided guidance from Game #810 (DWELL on 9/7/2023) that only 10 solutions remained (actually, only 6 — adjusting for previous & unlikely solutions).  I went with LEVEL to give myself a shot at 3 and ensure a par, at worst.  

Side note:  Some folks on the NYT Wordle forum have suggested that a “par” shouldn’t always be 4, birdie always 3, etc.  But adjusting par based on the overall player average every day, is probably more effort than anyone is willing to devote to the matter.  Even me. 

Guess #3 showed me the solution included two Es and ended with —EL.  So, I EXPEL-led the solution and watched all the letters turn green.  I tied The Bot and bested the (current) NYT avg (4 vs. 4.7).  I just hope this run of “tough pars” doesn’t jeopardize the efforts I took to get my 3-Guess solutions to exceed my 4-Guess solutions (all-time stats).  

On Tuesday, I was (and still am) healing up from a dental procedure Monday evening.  I will be making quite a few more trips to the dentist over the next month+ to complete the "installation" of an implant for my new front tooth (#8 -- for you dental aficionados out there).

Take care and stay safe.

Catching Up / A "Leg Man"

Had a busy weekend with my Dad visting from Dayton, Ohio.  Between that and a bittersweet result in the NFC Championship game in San Fransciso, I failed to post comments on my Wordle play over the weekend.

Here's my post on the New York Time's Wordle Review comments for Monday, Jan. 29.

Wordle 954 4/6

⬜⬜⬜⬜🟨 SHONE   496 WL

⬜⬜⬜⬜🟨 TRAIL         12 WL

🟨🟨⬜🟩🟩 ELEGY          1 WL

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 LEGGY

WordleBot

Skill 95/99

Luck 46/99

Streak 705

I’d be feeling worse about having back-to-back pars, if NYT averages the past couple days hadn’t been above 4.  Or, as my my bride put it this morning, “Wordle was rather difficult.”

Guess #1 yielded only E (out of position) for the second day in a row.  Guess #2 provided only the L (also out of position - yesterday, it was only R).  Overzealous record keeping provided guidance from Game #742 (BLEEP on 7/1/2023) that only 12 solutions remained (actually, only 5 — adjusting for previous & unlikely solutions).  I liked ELEGY best and thought it would likely ensure a par, at worst.  Guess #3 showed me I still didn’t have E & L in the right place — but that the word ended with—GY.  So, I guess it was a good day to be a “Leg Man”.  I lost to The Bot (4 vs 3) but bested the (current) NYT avg (4 vs. 4.4).  This continued the mixed emotions following last night’s NFC Championship game, where the Detroit Lions fell to the 49ers, ending their unexpectedly strong playoff run. 

And, for the sake of completeness, I will also include my Wordle results for the previous days:

Wordle 952 3/6

🟩⬜⬜🟨🟩   SHONE   7 WL

🟩🟨⬜🟨⬜   SKIED     1 WL

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩   SNAKE

WordleBot

Skill 88/99

Luck 86/99

NYT avg = 3.7 

Wordle 953 4/6

⬜⬜⬜⬜🟨   SHONE   496 WL

⬜🟨⬜⬜⬜    TRAIL      36 WL

⬜⬜🟩🟩⬜    CUBED      1 WL

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩    EMBER

WordleBot

Skill 99/99

Luck 32/99

NYT avg = 4.7

So now you're *WAY* more well-informed than you ever wanted to be about my Wordle play.  Although, if you *not* interested in that, I'm surprised you've stuck around long enough to read this sentence.

Take care and stay safe.

Double Os

Here's my post on the New York Time's Wordle Review comments for yesterday.

Wordle 951 3/6

⬜⬜🟩⬜⬜ SHONE   91 WL

🟨⬜🟨⬜⬜ FRAUD      3 WL

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ALOOF

WordleBot

Skill 99/99

Luck 62/99

Streak 702

My Double O fixation may have failed me yesterday — but it came in handy today.  In fact, it got me back “Under Par.”  *WAY* under par.

Guess #1 yielded only O (in position) again today.  But Guess #2 provided F & A (both out of position).  I thought about words starting AFO— (AFOOT didn’t excite me) but a different double O word was more appealing.  Maybe I just like women who “play hard to get.”  I went with ALOOF for Guess #3 — and was glad I did, because it turned all the letters green.  I bested both The Bot (by two guesses, 3 vs 5!) and the (current) NYT avg (3 vs. 4.1). 

Hope you're having a great weekend.

Take care and stay safe.

BLOCKed

Here's my post on the New York Time's Wordle Review comments for yesterday.

Wordle 950 4/6

⬜⬜🟩⬜⬜ SHONE   91 WL
⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ FRAUD    16 WL
⬜⬜🟩🟨⬜ WOOLY     3 WL
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 BLOCK

WordleBot
Skill 87/99
Luck 50/99
Streak 701

Mercifully, I was spared ending my “Under Par” streak (at 7 games) until I had reached my 700 consecutive win milestone.  It was somehow easier to handle playing a mediocre game once I had reached my long-sought goal.

Guess #1 yielded only O (in position) — and Guess #2 came up completely empty.  I had a strong suspicion that today’s solution could be a double O word — and WOOLY got stuck in my head.  I had doubts that it would be the solution, but I couldn’t think of anything quickly that I liked better.  After Guess #3, I also had the L out of position — and started to consider words ending —OCK.  My first thought was BLOCK (which had not been a previous solution) and I went with it, pleasantly surprised when all the letters turned green.  I lost to both The Bot and the (current) NYT avg (4 vs. 3.8). Tomorrow morning offers another opportunity to start a new “Under Par” streak. 

My Dad arrived in town yesterday evening for a brief visit and is spending the day seeing friends and family in Flint, MI today.  Hopefully, my kids will be able to join us for dinner tonight or tomorrow.  Hope everyone has a great weekend.

Take care and stay safe.

700

I did it!

Here's my post on the New York Time's Wordle Review comments for yesterday.

Wordle 949 3/6

⬜⬜⬜⬜🟨 SHONE   496 WL
⬜🟨⬜🟩🟨 TRAIL           1 WL
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 RELIC

WordleBot
Skill 99/99
Luck 57/99
Streak 700

A RELIC is an item from the (ancient) past, unsuitable to the present-day.  Sometimes, that seems like an apt description of me.  But this morning, I cast off all negative thinking to embrace having achieved the milestone of 700 consecutive wins!  

It seems so appropriate that today’s win involved my all-time favorite opening combination of SHONE & TRAIL.  Guess #1 yielded only E (out of position) — but Guess #2 hit the jackpot again today, matching R & L (out of position) as well as I (in position as Letter 4).  I had 4 of the 5 letters I needed after 2 guesses — and one was in the right spot.  There was only one solution remaining, although I didn’t know that at the time.  My first thought was that E would probably be Letter 2.  Then I focused on what could follow I as the last letter.  RELIC was the first word that came to me — and it hadn’t been a previous solution.  I submitted it as Guess #3 and watched all the letters go green for the 700th straight day.  It never gets old!

I tied The Bot and bested the (current) NYT avg (3 vs. 3.7). The Magic Number to reach 800 consecutive wins is 100 — but I’m not looking that far ahead.  My current “Under Par” streak is 7 games, so let’s see how far I can take it this time. 

Hope you have a great day.

Take care and stay safe.

STILL Making A Plan for the 2024 Oscars

Here's my post on the New York Time's Wordle Review comments for yesterday.

Wordle 948 3/6

🟩⬜⬜⬜⬜ SHONE   107 WL

⬜🟨⬜🟨🟨 PLAIT         2 WL

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 STILL

WordleBot

Skill 99/99

Luck 59/99

Streak 699

This morning, Guess #1 yielded only S as the first letter — but I used The Bot’s favorite in that scenario (PLAIT) as Guess #2.  This hit the jackpot, matching the P, I & T (all out of position).  The Bot later claimed there were 2 solutions remaining (STILL or SILTY), but my thinking was:  SILTY?  Really?!  Since P wasn’t Letter 2, it seemed most likely to me that T *was* — and that I was Letter 3.  In any case, it STILL seems obvious to me that SILTY is a second-rate word.  With STI— accounted for, a double L ending seemed the way to go for Guess #3.  I typed it in and was delighted to watch all the letters turn green.  I bested The Bot (3 vs 4 — how are you feeling about TRACE *now*, eh, Bottie?) and the (current) NYT avg (3 vs. 3.6).  But most significantly — The Magic Number to reach 700 consecutive wins has been reduced to ONE.  I’m looking forward to Wednesday morning — and will likely need to fight a strong temptation to play at midnight.  In fact, by the time that you read this, I will know whether or not the milestone has been reached. 

Sorry to keep you in suspense - but I don't want ANY Wordle spoilers here.  I know that has happened on the NYT comments section in the past - but it won't happen here.

Nominations for the 2024 Academy Awards were announced yesterday morning -- and I got some work to do.  Those of you that know me (and if you're reading my blog, you probably do), know that part of my prep work for the Oscars each year is to see as many of the Best Picture nominees as possible.  Since nominations in this category have expanded beyond five films, it has become more difficult - but I normally don't miss more than one or two, even with a full slate of 10 films.

The good news this year is:  I've already seen half of the nominated films -

• American Fiction
• Barbie
• The Holdovers
• Maestro
• Oppenheimer

That means I still need to see:

• Anatomy Of A Fall
• Killers Of The Flower Moon
• Past Lives
• Poor Things
• The Zone Of Interest

Some of these have only recent come to theaters in my part of the world, so hopefully I will be able to see them on the big screen, as their creators intended (and I prefer).  I don't know that I will have time to do full fledged reviews of all these movies in the blog - but I will try to work out a few sentences about each to aid me in my Oscar handicapping.

I will say this:  Of the five Best Picture nominees I've seen so far, the one I'd most like to see again (at this moment) is "American Fiction."  It was hilarious and moving and smart - and I don't think Jeffrey Wright has ever given a bad performance (at least, I haven't seen one).

Anyway, that's a lot of information for one day.  Hope you have a good one - day, that is.

Take care and stay safe.

Making A Few TWEAKs

Here's my post on the New York Time's Wordle Review comments for yesterday.

Wordle 947 3/6

⬜⬜⬜⬜🟨 SHONE   496 WL
🟩⬜🟨⬜⬜ TRAIL          4 WL
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 TWEAK

WordleBot
Skill 99/99
Luck 54/99
Streak 698

My “Go To” starting combination of SHONE & TRAIL paid dividends this morning, keeping me “Under Par” for a FIFTH (not a previous solution) consecutive day.  Guess #1 was “unlucky” according to The Bot, matched only the E as the last letter, and left a LOT of possible solutions.  But Guess #2 gave me the T (in position as the first letter) and A (out of position).  Although I didn’t know it at the time, The Bot thought there were only 4 solutions remaining.  But *my* post-game analysis was:  Three of those words ended -ED and were *extremely* unlikely to be the answer.  I was looking for just *one word* — but needed to find out where the vowels were placed.  I decided to look for words starting TA— or TE— but when I didn’t find anything suitable, I decided to TWEAK my approach (after verifying it hadn’t been a solution previously).  I tied The Bot, bested the (current) NYT avg (3 vs. 3.7), and reduced The Magic Number to 2 for reaching 700 consecutive wins.  

An added bonus:  The Detroit Lions played their best game of the season against Tampa Bay last night, earning the right to play for the NFC Championship (and the opportunity for their first ever Super Bowl appearance) next weekend in San Francisco.  

GO LIONS! 

Take care and stay safe.

2 For 1

My bride asked me this morning why I hadn't posted a Wordle update to my blog.  So apparently, I have at least one reader.

To make up for this lapse, today is a BOGO opportunity here at "speaking in CAPS."

First, my post on the New York Time's Wordle Review comments for Saturday, Jan. 20.

Wordle 945 3/6

⬜⬜⬜⬜🟩 SHONE   193 WL

⬜🟨🟨⬜🟨 TRAIL          1 WL

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 LARGE

WordleBot

Skill 99/99

Luck 60/99

Streak 696

My “Go To” starting combination of SHONE & TRAIL paid dividends this morning, with a quick & stress-free 3.  Guess #1 was “unlucky” according to The Bot, matched only the E as the last letter, and left a LOT of possible solutions.  But Guess #2 matched R, A & L (all out of position) — and left only one solution remaining.  I decided to go LARGE — and go home.  I tied The Bot, bested the (current) NYT avg (3 vs. 3.5), and gave me my third straight 3.  The Magic Number is 4 to reach 700 consecutive wins.  Good way to start the weekend.

And, without further ado, my post on the New York Time's Wordle Review comments for yesterday (Sunday, Jan. 21).

Wordle 946 2/6

⬜🟨🟨🟨⬜ SHONE   7 WL

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 NORTH

WordleBot

Skill 99/99

Luck 92/99

Streak 697

I love being “extraordinarily lucky” — and that’s how The Bot described my Guess #1 today, which matched H, O & N (all out of position).  Although I didn’t know it at the time, there were only 7 solutions remaining.  What I *suspected* was — that H was last letter of the solution (with a TH or CH) combination and O was Letter 2.  The first word that came to mind was NORTH.  Since R & T are very common letters and NORTH had not been a previous solution, I went with it — and was rewarded with a deuce.  I crushed The Bot (by 2 guesses!), bested the (current) NYT avg (2 vs. 3.7), and earned a fourth consecutive day “Under Par.”  The Magic Number is 3 to reach 700 consecutive wins.  GO DETROIT LIONS!

Since you're reading this the day after the Detroit / Tampa Bay game (or, possibly MUCH later than that), you may already know that the Lions played their best football game of the year yesterday and earned the right to play San Francisco next weekend in the NFC Championship Game.  

GO DETROIT LIONS!!

Hope your Monday is going swimmingly.

Take care and stay safe.

They're Creepy And They're Kooky

Yesterday's Wordle solution was THING.  You know -- this guy...  

For more Wordle nerdihood, I refer you to my post on the New York Time's Wordle Review comments yesterday.

Wordle 944 3/6

⬜🟩⬜🟩⬜ SHONE   7 WL
🟩🟩⬜🟩⬜ THANK   1 WL
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 THING

WordleBot
Skill 99/99
Luck 68/99
Streak 695

Extreme luck and my patented Wordle Tracking System®️ continued me on my “Under Par” way this morning.  Guess #1 was “extraordinarily lucky” according to The Bot (and who am I to disagree), providing me H & N as Letters 2 & 4, respectively.  I knew from previous play (most recently Game #882 — THINK — on 11/18/2023) that there were really only four words remaining after Guess #1 (adjusting for previous solutions).  I also knew that THANK was The Bot’s favorite word for Guess #2 in that scenario (it’s a favorite of mine as well), so that was an easy decision.  I was a little disappointed that the only green letter I added was the opening T — but I consoled myself with one THING:  the knowledge that it was the only solution remaining.  I tied The Bot, bested the (current) NYT avg (3 vs. 3.7), and achieved a stress-free Sea of Green.  The Magic Number is 5 to reach 700 consecutive wins.  

Hope your weekend is off to a great start.

Take care and stay safe.

Fizzy Lifting Drinks

Yesterday's Wordle solution was STOLE.  And that word always seems to remind me of this scene from the original Willy Wonka.  

For more Wordle nerdihood, I refer you to my post on the New York Time's Wordle Review comments yesterday.

Wordle 943 3/6

🟩⬜🟩⬜🟩 SHONE   12 WL
⬜🟨⬜⬜🟨 KEMPT     3 WL
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 STOLE

WordleBot
Skill 91/99
Luck 61/99
Streak 694

Plenty of luck & knowledge imparted through nerdy record-keeping got me back under par this morning.  I knew from Game #917 (SLOPE on 12/23/2023) that there were really only seven words remaining after Guess #1 (adjusting for previous solutions).  I had made a note to myself in December to try KEMPT next, to ensure only 1 solution would remain.  And so it came to pass, as I matched T (out of position) on Guess #2.  Since SMOTE and STOKE couldn’t be the solution, I typed in STOLE and watched all the letters go green.  I tied The Bot (whose favorite Guess #2 went from LIONS to LOINS today; such a fickle fan of an AI) and bested the (current) NYT avg (3 vs. 3.4).  The Magic Number is 6 to reach 700 consecutive wins. 

In other news, a good friend - unable to understand why I hadn't yet watched "Breaking Bad" - loaned me his Bluray set of the complete series, as an encouragement to enter Walter White's world.  I finished Season One last night and proceeded immediately into Season Two.  A favorite moment so far is the scene of Walter's family staging an intervention (in Season One) and the "Talking Pillow."

Hope everyone has a great weekend.

Take care and stay safe.

Good Morning, Judge

No, today's post doesn't have anything to do with 10cc.  As my post on the New York Time's Wordle Review comments yesterday clearly shows... 

Wordle 942 4/6

⬜⬜🟨⬜⬜ SHONE   193 WL
⬜🟩⬜⬜🟨 MOLAR     15 WL
⬜🟩🟩🟩⬜ GOURD       1 WL
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 COURT

WordleBot
Skill 91/99
Luck 42/99
Streak 693

All good streaks come to an end — and my streak of “Under Par” games ended this morning at 10.  I had 3 of the 5 letters after my second guess again — but only one was in the proper place.  Nerdy record-keeping tried to help — but couldn’t keep me under par.  I knew from Game #828 (ROCKY on 9/25/2023) that there were still four solutions remaining after Guess #2 — after adjusting for PS and unlikely words.  I had made a note to myself in September to try GOURD next, so typed it in for Guess #3.  But my luck had run out.  I now knew O-U-R was the core of the solution — and it was time to go to COURT.  They threw the book at me — but I remain a free man.  I lost to both The Bot (4 vs 2 — oh, the humiliation!) and the (current) NYT avg (4 vs. 3.3).  But, hopefully, I’m only a week away from reaching 700 consecutive wins.  

Hope you're having a good day.

Take care and stay safe.

Blond on Blonde

Yesterday's Wordle game was clearly targeted towards Bob Dylan fans.  

As my post on the New York Time's Wordle Review comments yesterday indicates... 

Wordle 941 3/6

⬜⬜🟩🟩⬜ SHONE   14 WL
⬜⬜⬜🟨⬜ APTLY       1 WL
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 BLOND

WordleBot
Skill 96/99
Luck 77/99
Streak 692

Knowing lots of the letters isn’t the *only* way to win at Wordle — but it helps.  Today, I had 3 of the 5 letters after my second guess — and two of them were even in the proper places.  Nerdy record-keeping also played its part, since I knew from Game #723 (WRONG on 6/12/2023) that there was only one solution remaining.  I haven’t yet had the chance to peek at other comments today, to see if there’s any controversy regarding “Blond on Blonde” (that classic Dylan album).  Anyway, I typed it in without the E for Guess #3 and watched my world go green.  I tied The Bot, bested the (current) NYT avg (3 vs. 3.7), and extended my streak of “Under Par” games to 10 days.  If I’m “under par” again tomorrow, it will match my personal best.

I also learned that APTLY is no longer The Bot’s favorite word in the scenario where I match O & N (in position) on Guess #1.  That fickle AI now prefers GRIMY.  I still prefer APTLY.  

Hope everyone is having a good day.

Take care and stay safe.

One In (A) 1.7 Million

We'd all like to think that we're special - and sometimes we get confirmation from unexpected sources.

Here's my post on the New York Time's Wordle Review comments yesterday with proof. 

Wordle 940 3/6

⬜🟨⬜🟨⬜ SHONE   19 WL
🟨⬜⬜🟨⬜ CAPUT     4 WL
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 LUNCH

WordleBot
Skill 86/99
Luck 60/99
Streak 691

Stretched my streak of “Under Par” games to 9 days this morning — as I keep matching lots of letters in my first two guesses.  Guess #1 gave me H & N (both out of position), so I went with The Bot’s favorite word in that scenario, CAPUT, for Guess #2.  Now, I also had C & U (out of position) — 4 letters but none of them in the right spot.  But nerdy record-keeping will have its day, so I knew from Game #838 (BUNCH on 10/5/2023) that HUNCH, LUNCH & MUCH were the only solutions remaining.  Since it wasn’t a 50/50 coin flip, I liked my chances and took my LUNCH.  (Anyone feeling a little more peckish than usual this morning?). I beat both The Bot (surprisingly, 3 vs 4) and the (current) NYT avg (3 vs. 3.7). 

And for the second day in a row, The Bot says “No one in our sample of 1,735,351 completed Wordles faced this scenario!”   Guess I’m still one in 1.7 million.

The Lions beat the Rams Sunday night so all of Michigan seems to be rejoicing — despite the bitter cold.  On to 700, I say.  

I neglected to include this in my NYT post yesterday - but lunch always makes me think about this bit -- Go To Lunch

Hope everyone had a marvelous Monday.  I took a little time out to think about The Dreamer yesterday.

Take care and stay safe.

Multiple Victories

The goal has been acheieved! 

The Detroit Lions defeated the Los Angeles Rams, 24-23, last night to win their first playoff game since 1991.

Oh wait, I mean -- my Worldle totals for 3-Guess & 4-Guess victories have been matched at 300 wins each.

Here's my post on the New York Time's Wordle Review comments yesterday with details.  Keep in mind that when I posted, the Lions were still more than 12 hours from vicotory:

Wordle 939 3/6

⬜⬜🟨🟩⬜ SHONE   23 WL
🟨⬜⬜⬜🟨 GUARD     1 WL
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 DOING

WordleBot
Skill 99/99
Luck 79/99
Streak 690

I did it, I DID IT!  Had another 3-Fer today — which evens up my 3-Guess and 4-Guess win totals at 300.  I needed to string together an 8-day “Under Par” streak to do it (One solve in 2 — and Seven straight 3s) — but things came together for me.

Guess #1 revealed the O (out of position) & N (in position) and I went with The Bot’s favorite word in that scenario, GUARD, for Guess #2.  As has been true for most of the past week, I had most of the letters after two guesses — which is a beautiful thing.  It certainly makes playing easier.  Having matched G, D & O (all out of position), I could build around the N as Letter 4.  Since I knew D didn’t follow the N, I thought my best bet was ending with —NG.  And since O wasn’t Letter 3, I thought Letter 2 was its likely destination — with D as Letter 1.  I knew I was DOING the right thing when all the letters turned green.  I tied The Bot but bested the (current) NYT avg (3 vs. 3.9). 

So now — can I extend my win streak to 700 in the next 10 days?  Guess I’ve got a new goal to shoot for.  Hope all Fellow Wordlers are enjoying the weekend.  I’m looking forward to seeing “All Of Us Strangers” this afternoon.  And some football later — GO LIONS!

After the Lions win, I updated the NYT comments with these updates:

Just saw that The Bot reported “No one in our sample of 1,735,929 completed Wordles faced this scenario!” Guess I’m one of a kind today.

Did anyone notice that The Bot’s solution today was — TRACE - LIONS - DOING? Coincidence? I think not!

Take care and stay safe.

3 More Guesses

By the time you read this, I will know whether I have succeeded in my Quest To Match my 3-Guess and 4-Guess Wordle win totals at 300.  But I won't post that info here until Monday, to ensure that I don't ruin Wordle play for anyone who is reading my blog.

Although there seems little risk of that.  

Anyway, consider yourself left in suspense.  If you email me, I'll tell you.

Here's my post on the New York Time's Wordle Review comments yesterday for more info:

Wordle 938 3/6

⬜🟨⬜⬜🟨 SHONE   46 WL
⬜🟨🟨🟨⬜ TARDY       1 WL
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 HEARD

WordleBot
Skill 99/99
Luck 72/99
Streak 689

Perhaps it’s obvious to everyone by now — but The Bot won’t be satisfied until you play Wordle the way it does.  If you want to continue using your own creativity, premonitions, or (God forbid) a PS list, know that you do so risking The Bot’s wrath.  As Exhibit 1, I present a comparison of my Wordle play yesterday vs today.  Both were solved in 3 guesses (more about that later).  I used the same starting word both days; obviously, Guess #3 was different each day.  So it all came down to Guess #2.  Yesterday’s cumulative Skill score was 80 because The Bot said Guess #2 “wasn’t my favorite.”  Today’s cumulative Skill score was 99 because The Bot evaluated Guess #2 as an “Excellent choice…one of my top picks in this situation.”  What can I say?  I value a quick solution over The Bot’s approval. 

Guess #1 revealed the H & E (both out of position) and I went with what I thought to be The Bot’s favorite word in that scenario, TARDY, for Guess #2.  I didn’t know until afterwards that this week’s changes to The Bot’s dictionary has made HEART its new favorite word in those circumstances.  And I ultimately didn’t *care* either — because TARDY matched A, R & D (all out of position).  After two guesses, I had all 5 letters — but none of them in the proper position.  I was positioned for a near perfect Succotash®️ (going from all Yellow to all Green — props to @Clear Thinker).  I HEARD the answer in my head, verified it wasn’t a previous solution, and watched with delight as all the letters turned green.  I tied The Bot but bested the (current) NYT avg (3 vs. 3.6). 

But best of all, I’m only one game away from achieving the goal to match my 3-Guess and 4-Guess win totals at 300 (currently 299 vs 300).  Just need a good performance tomorrow to bring it on home.  

Hope you're staying warm and dry wherever you are this weekend. 

Take care and stay safe.

Pulling Even

As of yesterday, I had played Wordle for 735 consecutive days -- over two years.  But more important to me, I was drawing close to a statistical milestone -- the point where my games won in 3 Guesses would equal my total won in 4 Guesses.

As of Tuesday, my stats looked like this:

In the last three days, I've solved in three guesses each time -- so I'm only two days away from pulling even.  Here's my feedback on the New York Time's Wordle Review comments yesterday for more excruciating detail:

Wordle 937 3/6

⬜⬜🟨⬜🟩 SHONE   29 WL
⬜🟩🟩⬜🟩 COUPE     5 WL
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ROUTE

WordleBot
Skill 80/99
Luck 72/99
Streak 688

The Bot’s feedback on my play today seemed a bit conflicted, like a friend giving you advice about the handling of a somewhat delicate interpersonal issue you’ve shared with them — they’re trying to seem supportive, but they can’t really believe the stupid decisions you’ve been making.  Guess #1 revealed the O (out of position) & E (in position, as the last letter).  The Bot described this as “a strong opening guess...[and] a lucky one”.  After considering options where O might be Letter 1 or 4, I decided the most likely position was Letter 2 — with a U beside it.  I liked COUPE, verified it wasn’t a previous solution, and played it for Guess #2.  The Bot was clearly disappointed in me (it prefers GUILD — which it also likes with a Yellow N & Green E, I noted), responding that “this guess wasn’t my favorite” — but that there were only 5 words left.  I didn’t know it at the time, but subsequent analysis revealed there were really only 2 solutions remaining (BOULE — I don’t *think* so — & ROUTE).  Anyway, ROUTE was the first thing I thought of, wasn’t a previous solution, and made all the letters turn green.  I lost to The Bot (2 to my 3) but bested the (current) NYT avg by a narrow margin (3 vs. 3.3). 

I’m closing in on the goal to match my 3-Guess and 4-Guess win totals at 300 (currently 298 vs 300).  Just need my luck to hold a couple more days. 

Winter arrived here in full force on Friday.  Hope everyone has a great weekend.  My plan is to stay warm and dry.

Take care and stay safe.

WordleBot's Ever-Changing Dictionary

Nobody knows better than the New York Times the constantly shifting sands of the English language -- and yesterday saw those shifts cause changes in the behavior of WordleBot, the AI used to evaluate play in NYT's Wordle game (hereafter referred to as "The Bot").  If it seems like I think this is important news, let me apologize for misleading you.

It's not.

On the other hand, if you're a complete Wordle Nerd (as I am), it was a *bit* interesting.

I'm sharing my feedback on the New York Time's Wordle Review comments yesterday regarding this weighty matter --  

Wordle 936 3/6

⬜⬜⬜⬜🟨 SHONE   496 WL
⬜🟩⬜🟨⬜ TRAIL         10 WL
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 BRIEF

WordleBot
Skill 99/99
Luck 57/99
Streak 687

The first change I noticed concerning yesterday’s updates to The Bot’s Dictionary was this:   Identifying E out of position as Letter 5 for Guess #1 left me 496 possible solutions instead of 492.  I stuck with my trusty TRIAL for Guess #2, finding R (in position) and I (out of position).  Based on The Bot’s feedback from Game #699 (GRIEF on 5/19/2023), I strongly suspected there were 3 high-probability solutions remaining (rather than the 10 later claimed by The Bot).  I decided to roll the dice and my suspense was BRIEF, as all the letters quickly turned green.  I tied The Bot and bested the (current) NYT avg by more than a full guess today (3 vs. 4.2). 

My hope for matching my 3-Guess and 4-Guess win totals at 300 still springs eternal (they currently stand at 297 vs 300).  If I can retain a “hot hand” through the weekend, this goal may yet be achieved.  

And now I see that The Bot has adjusted its play for Game #936 since I played early this morning.  With the result being that I BEAT The Bot (3 vs 4).  At first, I thought I had just erred while posting comments during the middle of the night.  But The Bot’s original solution was TRACE—DEFER—BRIEF, later changed to TRACE—DEFER—GRIEF—BRIEF.  Go figure.

Hope you are having a fine Friday. 

Take care and stay safe.

Wordle-Versary

There always seems to be a lot going on in my life.  I *must* like it that way -- but there I times when I have my doubts.  As an example, my "smart watch" (and I use that term very loosely) just urged me to get up and walk 250 steps.  The nerve of that thing!  A device that I received as a gift (another term that seems wildly inappropriate, in retrospect) for Christmas -- with the underlying hope that it would never have to alert me about ANYTHING -- is now harping at me to get off my fat @$$.  Perhaps I should provide an additional digression concerning my digression.

I was diagnosed with atrial fibrillation (afib) late in 2015, had an ablation procedure in 2016, and have been taking medication and seeing a cardiologist to treat the condition ever since.  I haven't had any issues with arrhythmia since the ablation.  But complicating matters is the fact that I was asymptomatic throughout the entire period when I *was* having arrhythmia issues.  Translation:  I've never been aware when my heart was out of rhythm.

I told you all that, so I could tell you this:  When I visited my cardiologist in November, he saw me wearing a wrist watch -- and suggested I ask for a smart watch for Christmas to alert me if it detected that I was having an arrhythmia episode.  Which seemed like a good idea at the time -- so my wife got me a Fitbit Versa 4 for Christmas.  And, although it has not detected any arrhythmia, it does bug me to walk around at 10 minutes to the top of each hour.

And now I'm wondering:  Can I commit a HIPAA violation against MYSELF?!

Anyway, this has been a rather roundabout way to say -- that I missed my second Wordle-versary on Monday.

Here's what I posted on the New York Time's Wordle Review comments yesterday regarding that oversight --  

Wordle 935 3/6

⬜🟩⬜⬜🟨 SHONE   19 WL
⬜⬜🟩🟩🟨 CARET      1 WL
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 THREW

WordleBot
Skill 99/99
Luck 75/99
Streak 686

Another solution in 3 today, made quick and easy by knowing all but one of the letters — and also knowing where they had to go.  It happened so fast, I had to slow myself down to double-check that I wasn’t making an unforced error.  After Guess #1, I had the H (in position) and E (out of position).  Based on The Bot’s feedback from Game #766 (WHEEL on 7/25/2023), I knew playing CARET as Guess #2 would ensure solving in 3.  Although The Bot later claimed that there were 19 solutions left after Guess #1, I knew the actual number was around 7 (or 8 — apparently WHELK is a possible solution now, though not bloody likely).  In any case, I hit the jackpot with CARET, matching R & E (in position) and also T — which I also knew had to be the first letter.  The word began THRE— and I knew the solution wasn’t THREE for two reasons:  Guess #1 told me E wasn’t the last letter — and THREE had just been the solution less than two weeks ago (12/30).  I double-checked to verify THREW hadn't previously been a solution, then played it.  I bested The Bot (3 vs 4) and the (current) NYT avg by a full guess again (3 vs. 4.0). 

I’ve been so busy lately, I failed to realize I had reached my second Wordle-versary on Monday.  I played my first game on January 8, 2021 (Game #203 — CRANK — how appropriate) and have played every day since.  Still have a chance to match my 3-Guess and 4-Guess win totals at 300 in the next week (they stand at 296 vs 300 after today) — with a bit of luck.  And soon after, I hope to push my win streak to 700 games.  

But I can’t get distracted by all this minutiae.  There will be a new word to guess tomorrow.  

Hope you are all having a terrific Thursday. 

Take care and stay safe.

Even More Football

U of M won Monday night.  Now we need a Lions victory over the Rams this weekend.

In Wordle news, I posted this on the New York Time's Wordle Review comments yesterday --  

Wordle 934 3/6

⬜⬜⬜🟨🟨 SHONE   105 WL
🟨🟩⬜⬜🟨 RIVAL          1 WL
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 LINER

WordleBot
Skill 99/99
Luck 68/99
Streak 685

I find that knowing all the letters that are included in the Wordle solution can be a significant advantage in winning the game.  Not that it *happens* that often — it's just kind of cool when it does.  That's what happened to me after Guess #2 today.  I had discovered N, E, R & L (all out of position) — with I in postion.  I double-checked to verify it hadn't previously been a solution, then played LINER.  Though I wasn't surprised, I was still very pleased when all the letters turned green (it never fails).  I tied The Bot (3 vs 4) and bested the (current) NYT avg by a full guess (3 vs. 4.0). 

The Michigan Wolverines are the College Football Champions this year after a convincing win against Washington (although the game was much closer than the score might indicate).  I now turn my attention to the Detroit Lions who will play the Rams (and former Lions quarterback, Matthew Stafford) this weekend.  

Hope your Wednesday is going great. 

Take care and stay safe.

Go Blue!

Congratulations to the 2023-2024 University of Michigan Wolverines on winning the College Football Championship last night in Houston!  Don't be fooled by the score - the game was a close one until pretty late in the final quarter.

In Wordle news, I posted this on the New York Time's Wordle Review comments yesterday --  

Wordle 933 3/6

⬜⬜⬜🟨⬜ SHONE   100 WL
⬜🟨⬜🟨⬜ TAPIR          7 WL
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 FINAL

WordleBot
Skill 94/99
Luck 54/99
Streak 684

I attribute today’s solve in 3 to a little luck — and significant help from having tracked previous solutions. After Guess #2 today, I had discovered three letters — N, A & I, all out of position.  The Bot would have you believe that there were 7 solutions still remaining — but I’d call it 4 (ALIGN, AVIAN, FINAL & INLAY).  “How can I make that statement?” you ask.  Because I retained information from Game #872 (NINJA on 11/8/2023) which persuaded me 3 of those 7 words weren’t the answer (either previously used or just unlikely).  In fact, I had played FINAL as my Guess #3 on 11/8  (when I ended up solving in 4) — and I played it again today.  But today, Luck was with me — and Guess #3 was my FINAL guess.  I was quite pleased (and surprised) to defeat both The Bot (3 vs 4) and the (current) NYT avg (3 vs. 3.8). 

The Michigan Wolverines play for the National Championship tonight — so GO BLUE!  Hope everyone had a good Monday. 

Take care and stay safe.

The Joy Of "Extraordinary Luck"

I've decided to continue posting my Wordle comments here at the risk of boring those who don't partake of the game - primarily because it doesn't appear that anyone is actually reading this stuff anyway.  And it provides me (at least) with a convenient history of what I've posted to the NYT (searching for stuff in the comments is quite a chore -- trust me).

I posted this on the New York Time's Wordle Review comments yesterday --  

Wordle 932 2/6

🟩⬜🟩🟩⬜ SHONE   1 WL

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 STONY

WordleBot

Skill 99/99

Luck 99/99

Streak 683

Well, there’s LUCKY — and then there’s *extraordinarily* LUCKY.  Today, the Bot described me as that second one, since Guess #1 gave me three letters (S, O & N, all in position) and left only one possible solution remaining.  Getting Double 99s for Skill AND Luck is quite a rare occurrence for me (I expect for everyone else too), so I’m not going to ruin it with a lot of superfluous chatter.  But I was quite pleased to defeat both The Bot (2 vs 3) and the (current) NYT avg (2 vs. 3.9). 

The Detroit Lions won their 12th game of the season this afternoon (after getting robbed by the officials during the Dallas game last week) and the Michigan Wolverines play for the National Championship tomorrow night.  GO BLUE!  Hope everyone had a fine finish to the weekend. 

Take care and stay safe.

Even More Wordling

I fear that I'm boring those of you that don't play / aren't interested in Wordle.  And I'm certain that I will have something soon to post on a topic of more general interest -- but not today.

I posted this on the New York Time's Wordle Review comments yesterday --  

Wordle 931 4/6

⬜⬜⬜⬜🟩 SHONE   191 WL
⬜⬜🟨⬜🟨 TRAIL        14 WL
🟨⬜🟩🟩🟩 AMBLE        3 WL
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 CABLE

WordleBot
Skill 99/99
Luck 33/99
Streak 682

The thing about streaks is:  they must end.  And so it is with my streak of “under par” games.  Having reached a new personal best of 11 days, I found that a strong CABLE has tethered me to the Earth — probably to keep me from “pulling an Icarus.”  

Guess #1 gave me E as the last letter today — and Guess #2 provided A & L (both out of position).  Based on information from Game #598 (APPLE on 2/7/2023), I knew 13 solutions remained (14 now, I guess — CALVE has been added as a potential solution).  I had used AMBLE for Guess #3 in that game and, since it has not been previously used, I tried it again today.  Unfortunately, it was *still* not the answer — and it appeared I was down to a coin flip between CABLE and FABLE (although I realized later that GABLE was also a possibility).  Having an abysmal track record on coin flips, I heaved a sigh of relief when CABLE turned green.  I lost to both The Bot and the (current) NYT avg (3.9 vs 4). 

So I finally reached my 300th game solved in 4 guesses.  I’m at 293 games solved in 3.  If I can put together another serious string of 3-guess solves, I could still get to 300 in each category within the next week.  However unlikely, it does give me something for which to strive.  Hope everyone is having a great weekend. 

Take care and stay safe.

Christmas Wordling: The Twelfth Day Of Christmas

I posted this on the New York Time's Wordle Review comments yesterday -- 

Wordle 930 3/6 

⬜⬜⬜🟨🟩 SHONE 30 WL 
⬜🟨🟨🟨🟩 ANGLE 1 WL 
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 LUNGE 

WordleBot 
Skill 85/99 
Luck 80/99 
Streak 681 

(To be sung to the tune of “The Twelve Days of Christmas”) 

“On the Twelfth Day of Christmas, my First Guess showed to me 
Two letters — one yellow, one green 
Now my Second Guess was ANGLE — To my delight I see 
Four letters matched — N, G, L — Letter 5 is an E 
I need one letter more, so that I can win in 3 
LUNGE is my choice — All letters green — Thank you for reading my parodies” 

Like the song which they imitate, these “Twelve Day of Christmas” bits have probably overstayed their welcome — but it’s just in my nature to see such things through to the bitter end. Still, my “under par” streak has reached a new personal best of 11 days — so I’ve got that going for me. After Guess #2, I had 4 of the 5 letters — and knew the last letter was E. Based on information from Game #896 (GENRE on 12/2/2023), I knew 15 solutions remained — but only 1 included N, G, L & E. I tied The Bot and bested the (current) NYT avg (3 vs 3.8). 

Take care and stay safe.

Christmas Wordling: The Eleventh Day Of Christmas

I posted this on the New York Time's Wordle Review comments yesterday -- 

Wordle 929 3/6

🟩⬜⬜🟩⬜ SHONE   27 WL
⬜⬜⬜⬜🟩 GUILT        1 WL
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 SCANT

WordleBot
Skill 99/99
Luck 73/99
Streak 680

(To be sung to the tune of “The Twelve Days of Christmas”)

“On the Eleventh Day of Christmas, my First Guess showed to me
An S and an N, both were green 
On my Second Guess, I used GUILT, The Bot’s most favor-eet
It matched the T — Letter 5 was reveal-ed to me
Though I was not aware, just one answer was still free
I typed in SCANT — I won in 3 — And extended my “under par” streak”

My streak of “shooting under par” has now reached ten days — which equals my longest streak.  After Guess #2, I had S, N & T — all in position.  Though I didn’t know it yet, there was only one word left.  SCANT was the first word that came to mind, so I verified it had not been previously used and typed it in.  The “Sea of Green” swirled before my eyes  — and, with it, victory.  I tied The Bot and bested the (current) NYT avg (3 vs 3.5). 

Take care and stay safe.

Christmas Wordling: The Tenth Day Of Christmas

I posted this on the New York Time's Wordle Review comments yesterday -- 

Wordle 928 3/6

⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ SHONE   370 WL
🟩🟨⬜🟨🟩 TRAIL          1 WL
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 TWIRL

WordleBot
Skill 99/99
Luck 50/99
Streak 679

(To be sung to the tune of “The Twelve Days of Christmas”)

“On the Tenth Day of Christmas, my First Guess showed to me
Nada — Absolutely nothing 
Now my Second Guess was TRIAL, to my delight I see
Four letters matched — two were yellow, the other two green
With four letters in hand, thought I knew the answer’d be
TWIRL, which I typed — Watched it turn green — Satisfying, a 3, victory”

My streak of “shooting under par” has now reached nine days.  If my luck holds out for a couple more days, I’ll beat my personal best.  As on New Year’s Day, Guess #1 gave me nothing — but Guess #2 gave me what I needed to solve.  I had four letters — T, R, I and L — with T and L in position as the first and last letters, respectively.  I didn’t know there was only one word left — but I suspected that the word ended with —IRL — and TWIRL fit the bill.  I typed it in and watched all the squares turn GREEN.  I tied The Bot and bested the (current) NYT avg (3 vs 3.7). 

Anyone interested in revisiting my “Twelve Days of Christmas” comments can visit my blog — http://speakingincaps.blogspot.com/ — rather than searching the NYT comments.  I am taking care not to post any current day Wordle solution info until the following day.  

Hope everyone reading this is having a good day. 

Take care and stay safe.

Christmas Wordling: The Ninth Day Of Christmas

I posted this on the New York Time's Wordle Review comments yesterday -- 

Wordle 927 3/6

⬜⬜⬜🟩⬜ SHONE   77 WL
🟨⬜🟨⬜⬜ GRAFT      3 WL
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 AGING

WordleBot
Skill 99/99
Luck 63/99
Streak 678

(To be sung to the tune of “The Twelve Days of Christmas”)

“On the Ninth Day of Christmas, my First Guess showed to me
An N — Fourth position and green
Now my Second Guess was GRAFT and two letters do I see
G and an A — both bright yellow, now where should they be?
For Guess 3, thought I’d try something ending —I-N-G 
AGING I chose —  Vic’try in three — as I watched all the letters turn GREEN”

Today was my eighth straight day “shooting under par” on Wordle, so I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop (an antiquated expression perhaps — but I’m not young anymore).  My luck’s bound to run out sooner or later — as I haven’t had a sub-50 LUCK score in nine days either.  By Guess #2 today, I had three letters — N, G and A — with N in position as the fourth letter.  I didn’t know there were only three solutions remaining — but I strongly suspected that the word ended with —ING.  AGING came to mind first for Guess #3 (APING felt like a stretch to me — and ACING didn’t occur to me).  The double Gs caught my attention — but didn’t trouble me — so I typed it in before I could engage in a lot of second guessing.  Happily, all the squares turned GREEN.  I tied The Bot and bested the (current) NYT avg by more than a full guess (3 vs 4.3). 

Very pleased with the U-M Wolverine’s exciting victory yesterday.  Hopefully next Monday’s Championship Game will be another good one.  Hope everyone has a fine Tuesday. 

Christmas Wordling: The Eighth Day Of Christmas

I posted this on the New York Time's Wordle Review comments yesterday -- 

Wordle 926 3/6
⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ SHONE   370 WL
⬜🟨🟨⬜🟩 TRAIL          3 WL
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 MURAL

WordleBot
Skill 99/99
Luck 54/99
Streak 677

(To be sung to the tune of “The Twelve Days of Christmas”)

“On the Eighth Day of Christmas, my First Guess showed to me
A big goose egg — no yellow or green
Now my Second Guess was TRAIL, it gave me letters — THREE!
R, A and L — it was so swell — just three words left for sweet victory
But Guess 3 was still tricky — a dice roll it would be 
Three options left, for Letter One— MURAL made all the letters turn GREEN!”

Making a guess that seemingly yields no positive results is part of the game — but not a pleasant part.  Thankfully, Blow #2 of my favorite One-Two PUNCH (which has not yet been a solution, I’ll have you know), TRAIL provided three letters — R, A and L — with L in position as the last letter.  I didn’t know there were only three solutions remaining — but I strongly suspected that the word ended with —URAL.  MURAL was the first word that came to mind for Guess #3 — but RURAL caused me some momentary indecision (AURAL didn’t occur to me — but in retrospect, double Rs seems more likely to me than double As).  I typed in MURAL, hoping that going with my first instinct would be rewarded — and was gratified when all the squares turned GREEN.  I tied The Bot and bested the (current) NYT avg by a full guess (3 vs 4.0). 

Wishing everyone a Happy New Year — Welcome to 2024.  GO BLUE!

Take care and stay safe.

Christmas Wordling: The Seventh Day Of Christmas

I posted this on the New York Time's Wordle Review comments yesterday -- 

Wordle 925 3/6

🟩⬜⬜⬜⬜ SHONE   105 WL
⬜🟨🟨⬜🟨 PLAIT          1 WL
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 SALTY

WordleBot
Skill 99/99
Luck 65/99
Streak 676

(To be sung to the tune of “The Twelve Days of Christmas”)

“On the Seventh Day of Christmas, my First Guess showed to me
Letter 1 was an S, I could see 
On my Second Guess, I went with The Bot’s most favour-eet 
PLAIT was the word — got an L and an A and a T
With four letters in hand,  I thought I should solve in 3
I didn’t know — One word was left — today’s answer was really SALTY”

Sometimes using The Bot’s favorite word is *very* helpful.  Today, it identified three letters I needed.  So after Guess #2, I had four of five letters — and knew the word started with an S.  I didn’t know there was only one word left — but I liked my chances.  SALTY was the first word that came to mind for Guess #3 (STALL also came to mind — but I realized A *could not* be Letter 3) and I typed it in with confidence, which was rewarded when all the squares turned GREEN.  I still lost to The Bot (which had a deuce today) but narrowly bested the (current) NYT avg (3 vs 3.1). 

Anyone interested in revisiting my “Twelve Days of Christmas” comments can visit my blog — http://speakingincaps.blogspot.com/ — rather than searching the NYT comments.  I am taking care not to post any current day Wordle solution info until the following day.  Hope my Fellow Wordlers have a fine final day of 2023. 

Take care and stay safe.