Here's my post on the New York Time's Wordle Review comments for yesterday.
Friday, March 22, 2024
Throwing SHADE
Here's my post on the New York Time's Wordle Review comments for yesterday.
Thursday, March 21, 2024
The Dreaded *INGO Trap
Here's my post on the New York Time's Wordle Review comments for yesterday.
Wednesday, March 20, 2024
"The Dude ABIDEs..."
Here's my post on the New York Time's Wordle Review comments for yesterday.
Tuesday, March 19, 2024
How is that SPELT?
Monday, March 18, 2024
Care for a SNORT?
Here's my post on the New York Time's Wordle Review comments for yesterday.
Sunday, March 17, 2024
The TOXIN Avenger?
Here's my post on the New York Time's Wordle Review comments for yesterday.
Saturday, March 16, 2024
Wordle 1000: Words ERUPT
Here's my post on the New York Time's Wordle Review comments for yesterday.
Friday, March 15, 2024
Ever SINCE I got back from vacation...
Here's my post on the New York Time's Wordle Review comments for yesterday.
Thursday, March 14, 2024
LOCAL Hero
Saturday, March 9, 2024
(Humble) Bragging
Here's my post on the New York Time's Wordle Review comments for yesterday.
Thursday, February 29, 2024
The DEVIL made me do it
Wednesday, February 28, 2024
Start Making SENSE
Saturday, February 10, 2024
Knock It STIFF
Friday, February 9, 2024
"Do you know how non-PLACE he was?"
Here's my post on the New York Time's Wordle Review comments for yesterday.
Thursday, February 8, 2024
The Day AFTER
Here's my post on the New York Time's Wordle Review comments for yesterday.
Wednesday, February 7, 2024
Which Is WHICH
Here's my post on the New York Time's Wordle Review comments for yesterday.
Tuesday, February 6, 2024
Finding Myself REPEL-lent
I just *hate* making an unforced error. It's particularly dissappointing when the unforced error occurs only moments after determining the right thing to do -- but then NOT doing it.
To elaborate on this feeling of self-loathing, here's my post on the New York Time's Wordle Review comments for yesterday.
Monday, February 5, 2024
On The VERGE
Sunday, February 4, 2024
Tiny Victories
Here's my post on the New York Time's Wordle Review comments for yesterday.
⬜⬜🟨⬜⬜ SHONE 193 WL
🟩🟨⬜⬜🟨 MOLAR 1 WL
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 MICRO
WordleBot
Skill 99/99
Luck 64/99
Streak 710
Some days things fall into place quickly. Today, Guess #1 yielded only the O (out of position) which The Bot (again) described as “unlucky”. Guess #2 provided M (in position) & R (out of position) — and O didn’t match as Letter 2 either. Since had go in as Letter 4 or 5, I thought I’d look for a word with the pattern, M—RO. MICRO was the first thing that came to mind (and, I found out later, the only remaining solution), so I quickly played it and watched all the letters turn green. I tied The Bot but bested to the (current) NYT avg (3 vs. 3.9). Weekend going well so far.
Saturday, February 3, 2024
Low On Luck
Here's my post on the New York Time's Wordle Review comments for yesterday.
⬜⬜⬜⬜🟨 SHONE 496 WL
🟨⬜⬜⬜🟨 TRAIL 9 WL
🟨🟩🟩⬜🟩 FLEET 1 WL
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 CLEFT
WordleBot
Skill 99/99
Luck 41/99
Streak 709
Don’t let anyone tell you it’s not better to be LUCKY than SKILLful in this game. Since Sunday, I’ve had 90+ SKILL scores every day — but I’ve only been under par the one day (yesterday) that my LUCK score exceeded 50.
Guess #1 yielded only the E (out of position) which The Bot described as “unlucky”. Guess #2 provided T & L (both out of position), which theoretically left 9 possible solutions. Based on out-of-control record keeping, however, I knew from my play in Game #666 (DWELT on 4/16/2023) that only 5 solutions remained and The Bot’s favorite word in that scenario was FLEET, which had not previously been a solution — so I played it for Guess #3. It wasn’t today’s solution either, but it did confirm that LE & T were in their proper places — and F had to be Letter 4. It was a bit anticlimactic to play CLEFT — but I did it anyway, so I could watch all the letters turn green. I tied The Bot but fell to the (current) NYT avg (4 vs. 3.6) — which seemed to me an unusual circumstance that I will need to research further. Just glad the work week is coming to an end.
Thursday, February 1, 2024
Guesses In BULK(Y)
Wednesday, January 31, 2024
EXPEL-led
Tuesday, January 30, 2024
Catching Up / A "Leg Man"
Saturday, January 27, 2024
Double Os
Friday, January 26, 2024
BLOCKed
Here's my post on the New York Time's Wordle Review comments for yesterday.
⬜⬜🟩⬜⬜ 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.
Thursday, January 25, 2024
700
I did it!
Here's my post on the New York Time's Wordle Review comments for yesterday.
⬜⬜⬜⬜🟨 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.
Wednesday, January 24, 2024
STILL Making A Plan for the 2024 Oscars
- American Fiction
- Barbie
- The Holdovers
- Maestro
- Oppenheimer
- Anatomy Of A Fall
- Killers Of The Flower Moon
- Past Lives
- Poor Things
- The Zone Of Interest
Tuesday, January 23, 2024
Making A Few TWEAKs
Here's my post on the New York Time's Wordle Review comments for yesterday.
⬜⬜⬜⬜🟨 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.
Monday, January 22, 2024
2 For 1
Saturday, January 20, 2024
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.
⬜🟩⬜🟩⬜ 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.
Friday, January 19, 2024
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.
🟩⬜🟩⬜🟩 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.
Thursday, January 18, 2024
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...
⬜⬜🟨⬜⬜ 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.
Wednesday, January 17, 2024
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...
⬜⬜🟩🟩⬜ 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.
Tuesday, January 16, 2024
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.
⬜🟨⬜🟨⬜ 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).
The Lions beat the Rams Sunday night so all of Michigan seems to be rejoicing — despite the bitter cold. On to 700, I say.
Monday, January 15, 2024
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:
⬜⬜🟨🟩⬜ 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!
Sunday, January 14, 2024
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:
⬜🟨⬜⬜🟨 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.
Saturday, January 13, 2024
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:
⬜⬜🟨⬜🟩 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.
Friday, January 12, 2024
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 --
⬜⬜⬜⬜🟨 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.
Hope you are having a fine Friday.