Wordle: I’m breaking up with you

MichaelSunnarborg / September 20, 2022 Article, Image, Link / Leave a Comment

September 20, 2022

Dear Wordle,

I’m writing this letter to tell you that I think it’s time for us to go our separate ways.

When we first met in January, I was delighted to finally find a relationship that was fun, easy, and only required my attention for a few minutes a day. I was intrigued by your simple 5-letter vocabulary, the fact that you always gave me 6 tries to understand you, and especially those times when you told me my game was “Impressive!” I was so enamored of you I even introduced you to my Mom.

There were several times when I thought I’d lost you—like when you moved from London to New York, the days I forgot to see you until it was close to midnight, or the few times it took us all six tries to understand each other. But with a collective “Whew!” we made it through tough times together. And even the two instances where we completely missed each other felt like a drop in the bucket compared to the 243 consecutive days we spend in alphanumeric bliss. You were always there on my phone. And I knew that even if I rebooted, you’d always be there for me.

Then last Friday, things changed. In #454 you introduced PARER—which, fortunately, I was able to decode in 6 tries—but my confidence was a bit shaken that day. And not just for me but for many other people. We were used to our solution rate of 99%, but your actions last Friday resulted in only a 45% solve rate. But I brushed it off as an exception. And despite the near miss, I still believed in you and your promise to “keep it common.”

But then came yesterday. #457. By my second guess, I was green on 4 of 5 letters. We were on a roll and I was ready to win. But then things rolled quickly downhill. With every subsequent guess, I was still coming up one letter short, and I could feel us drifting further and further apart. And then before I knew it the game was over. Trice? Really?! I’ve used the word thrice before but never even heard the word “trice.” Seriously?!

Whereas before I felt so close to you, in a trice I felt so far away. I’d realized you’d changed and that we had truly drifted apart. This third miss broke the camel’s back—and in my playbook, three strikes and you’re out. It was then that I knew it was time to let you go.

So I am thankful for our 243 days of powerful and perplexing play, and my hope is that you will continue to find others who will play your games. I will always cherish our time together and I’m confident that in time, I’ll find new words with friends.

Take care,
Michael

P.S. Can I please get my copy of the Compact Oxford English Dictionary back?