Wordle-y wisdom

With the addictive word game taking the Internet by storm, three players share their tips and tricks

Eye on recurring letters
Anuraag Bose, 31, associate creative director

I’ve always been a fan of word games since I was young, having grown up in a household that appreciates a good puzzle. Michael Argirion’s Jumble has been a staple between my father and I for decades. I chanced upon Wordle through an article that a friend had shared. I’m always keen on seeing what new things the Internet has to offer so it didn’t take much for me to get hooked. E is the most recurring letter of the alphabet, followed by A and R. So, two initial guesses involving these three letters usually starts you off on the right track. Once you’ve got two to three letters, sacrifice one or two guesses in using words with offbeat consonants to rule them out. Should an uncommon consonant be present, your job becomes that much easier.

Vowels matter
Shilpa Chawla, 35, business owner

My husband saw people sharing their Wordle results on Facebook, and we decided to give the game a shot about a month ago. Most games have some kind of clue, but you go completely blind into this. So getting the words right lends a happy sense of achievement. Moreover, there are no advertisements, which is a big plus for us. Since there’s a 24-hour wait for the next word, there’s a sense of anticipation and no burnout. I’ve figured that while starting off, one can use words that have more vowels, which makes it easier to guess. We’ve also got a chat group where we share our results.

Mindful engagement
Malini Banerjee, 35, singer-songwriter

What got me to check out Wordle was curiosity, and what has made me stay so far is pure addiction. It’s like watching a drama with a new episode airing at a fixed time. It’s almost like I want to beat the game for making me wait for 24 hours! Also, it’s a mindful source of engagement as opposed to mindless scrolling that we’ve all got used to over the past couple of years; mindfulness is one of my resolutions this year. While playing, for my first try, I eliminate as many vowels as I can, which tends to reduce possibilities. Those trying it out for the first time, I suggest that you keep an eye out for double letters.

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