Vowels and Consonants

It is the last post of this month, and I'm most excited about this one!

Can we talk about 'words' without talking about wordle?

We cannot.

I was once clueless, just one of the many people who didn't understand the white, yellow and green squares people posted as their Facebook status. That was until my youth leader team introduced me to the game in January. What can I say? Life has not been the same since then.

I've been playing every day and only recently got the word on two guesses. It's been fun to play as a group, the anticipation of waiting until midnight for the new wordle and sharing our results in the group chat.

If you haven't realised already, this is not a serious post. Just a fun, creative way for me to share my love for word games!

Though I am no wordle expert, I hope you'll learn from this wordle enthusiast's mistakes. Here are some of my tips on how to improve your wordle gameplay:

Tip 1: Your starting word is important

There was once a time when I would use an interesting word or a word I fancied as my starting word. But gone are those days. Now I play with more strategy than I once did.

The Most Common Letters

If you want to take your wordle gameplay to the next level, you need to know which letters are the most common in words. This knowledge will inform you of which starting word is more favourable.

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the most common vowels are E and A, followed by I and O. For consonants, the most common are R, T, N and S.

Option 1: Use a word with four vowels

Unless it's an unusual word, it will likely have some vowels. A starting word with four different vowels places you in a good position since there are only five vowels.

There aren't actually that many five-letter words with four vowels, so here is a list of the ones that don't repeat vowels:

• AUREI (r is the consonant)
• OURIE (r is the consonant)
• URAIE (r is the consonant)
• MIAOU (m is the consonant)
• AULOI (l is the consonant)
• LOUIE (l is the consonant)
• ADIEU (d is the consonant)
• AUDIO (d is the consonant)
• OUIJA (j is the consonant)

Option 2: Use a word with two or three vowels

I used to use a starting word with as many vowels as possible but sometimes that leaves you with too many options. There have been too many close calls to count, moments where I've only been able to guess the word on the sixth guess.

Now I prefer to use a starting word with two or three vowels. This approach allows you to cut down on the leftover consonants. It also gives you a higher chance of getting the word on two or three guesses (especially if you get some of the consonants on the first guess). Another benefit is mixing up the consonants you can choose from, as there are more words you can create with fewer vowels.

If this is the approach for you, here are some five-letter words with three vowels you can use as your starting word:

• ABOUT
• ABIDE
• ABOVE
• ABUSE
• ADORE
• AGILE
• ALIVE
• ALONE (the starting word that I used to get my first two!)
• AMIGO
• ANIME
• ANISE
• ARGUE
• ASIDE
• AUDIT
• CANOE
• EMAIL
• CAUSE  
• GUIDE
• HOUSE
• IDEAL
• IMAGE
• IRATE
• JUICE
• KOREA
• MEDIA
• MOVIE
• NAIVE
• NOISE
• OLIVE
• OPERA
• PATIO
• PAUSE
• PIANO
• QUAKE
• QUIET
• RADIO
• RATIO
• ROUGE
• ROUTE
• SAUCE
• SUAVE
• UNION
• VALUE
• VIOLA
• VOICE
• VIDEO

Tip 2: You need to risk it for the biscuit

There was a time when I plateaued in my wordle play, averaging four to five guesses. I wondered how I could improve my wordle gameplay.

My first three guesses used to be consistent. I would use the same couple of words to eliminate as many vowels and consonants as possible, which would help me guess the word by the fourth guess or sometimes the fifth if the word was hard. If I wanted to get the word in less than four, I couldn't continue using the same strategy.

Pay attention to your yellow and green hints

If you confirm any letters from your starting word or either of your guesses, it is worth pursuing that train of thought. Don't always play it safe, and go for it! Use the letters you have confirmed and rearrange them to formulate a guess. If you want to get the word in less than four, you need to risk it for the biscuit.

Take calculated risks

I don't want to get lots of angry messages telling me how you listened to my advice and then failed to get the word, so I'm going to include a caveat right here to get myself out of trouble. Yes, I did say that you should risk it for the biscuit but make sure to take calculated risks.

Take into consideration the vowels you have confirmed. If you have way too many options, it is worthwhile to eliminate as many consonants as possible in your future guesses.

I speak to myself as I write this too. Sometimes I get so caught up in getting the word on two or three that I abandon all sense of reason and logic. I play like this when I am tired or feeling spontaneous, and it never ends well. So don't be like me and learn from my mistakes.

Tip 3: Remember to have fun!

I love that this game gets me thinking and increases my vocabulary (even if they are only five-letter words). I love the strategising aspect, and it excites me when I find a better starting word. I also love that you can play with friends, complain about the word when it's hard and share each other's joy when you get it with one guess. It's also a great way to pass time on public transport or when you need a break from work.

If you haven't played wordle before, I highly recommend giving it a try. It is a fun word game for anyone and everyone!

If you already play, here are some other ideas to add to the wordplay fun: do the wordle together in person with a group of friends, use the wordle word in a sentence or give your friends a hint on the wordle word 'I like this word' or 'this person always says this word' to get them thinking!

I hope you all have a JOLLY time playing.

PEACE out.

ADIEU.

List of Word Games

• Wordle (the og - one word and six guesses)
• Quordle (the best alternative - four words and nine guesses)
• Target Time (another fun word game)
• Semantle (the most frustrating game ever - play at your own risk)
• Dordle (two words and seven guesses)
• Octordle (eight words and thirteen guesses)
• Letterle (if you have lots of time on your hands - you have a 1/26 chance of getting it)