General Feedback
Comments
741 responses to “General Feedback”
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I have played all 1691 games every night faithfully including the first couple of hundred which I had to do in the archived games when I first discovered Wordle. I have always consulted the PU list before entering any guess. Tonight, I didn’t bother with the list because “What’s the point?” As a result, my Lines 3, 4, and 5 were all PU leaving me with a rare (for me) 6/6.
I am really angry with this NYT change. There was no need for it. There are still thousands of good words left. In fact, even my own personal list of “possibles” still has almost 600 words.Signed: Annoyed in Canada
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Reading on the background of the game’s success, Josh Wardle thought that “common” words were very important to avoid too much frustration for his friends and family. He narrowed down a 12,000 5-letter word list to less than 3,000. With that list starting to run out after 5 years, a re-use process had to begin at some point. I’m ok with that. I can hardly remember yesterday, let alone 5 years ago! 🙂
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I agree, there are so many worthy words out there, no reason to use any twice. That was what kept me playing every day, that it could be an unending source of brand newness to each day.
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Agreed!
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Interesting development with Wordle using used words. Interestingly today for instance I started with the unused word AROSE, the E being correct, I then opted for CHUTE and bingo I hit pay dirt with CH.
Now here was my dilemma, go with CHIDE or CHIME. I opted for CHIDE, being an unused word and got it in 3.
I don’t think there is any pattern.
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Thanks for replying Virginia. There was a bit too much spoiler in your comment, so I’m hiding it until tomorrow. I think it will be great to collect experiences like this as we learn when / if the list is still helpful!
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Didn’t realize you were just a “regular player” making this list. I stated playing when the game first came out and got the answer in one! It was before I even knew strategies like using multi-vowel words. Then when I stating using the same word such as ADIEU I got bored so I would use a new word each day, hoping to get lucky again. Finally hit it again on Day 768 with HEART. Later my son tells me his friend has gotten it in one guess 4 times and told me about your list. So since then I’ve “cheated” and used your list but no luck. I actually wanted to say thanks for taking the time to make this list. I’ll probably stick with my “never used” guesses for a while.
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Interesting you use the word ‘cheat’ Ray – I shared this list with fellow wordlers that volunteers at the Gardens where I do – they “would never use it” and were not impressed that I was cheating. Upsetting, as I don’t see it that way at all.
Happy Wordling 👍-
There is no rule that prevents:
1. avoiding “s” plurals
2. avoiding “ed” past tense
3. avoiding “uncommon” words
4. avoiding past answers
These are all tactics based on how the game is designed.
When my brother says I’m cheating, I say I’m just playing smart. 😉NYT WordleBot has an option to set the BOT to play with a past answers list. When you set it that way it plays smarter, too!
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Using FF is definitely not cheating in my opinion.
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I want to say I appreciate this list.
Perhaps they repeated a word yesterday because it was Groundhog Day and that whole thing about the movie repeating. Their daily crossword puzzle yesterday had the answer Groundhog Day 4 times in their across answers. Perhaps it was their idea of a joke?-
I take that back – Just found the blog about yesterday’s puzzle on their site. This is what it said:
Starting today, we will begin adding previously run words back into play. There are still many first-time answers to debut, but also more chances for those magical, serendipitous moments when Wordle overlaps with real life.-
Thanks for posting that Dannette. Obviously Groundhog day was calculated, so not serendpidous or magical. But it was funny! I look forward to seeing how often and how old re-used words are.
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I love the way you’re cataloging the repeated wordle words, the superscript works! Thanks!
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Why are you repeating words when I know all 5 letter words have not been used. I have been starting with the same word for over a year and it’s still not come up. It’s not a difficult word either.
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Lynne,
I’m not with New York Times. I’m just a guy that plays Wordle and keeps a list of past answers. Now we have to figure out if the list is useful. TBD. I’ll keep updating it.
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Wordle does repeat words now. It repeated cigar 0 yesterday. Are you going to refresh the site?
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Jean,
I’m going to keep the main list updated where I update the word each day with its # and its date. *IF* a word is a repeat I’m adding a “2” foot note. So you’ll see CIGAR twice in both the ALPHA and CHRON lists with # / date information. On the BLOCK list I am highlighting a repeated word. TBD if the list will be helpful in play anymore.-
Wonderful thank you
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I tested a theory and used the very first ever Wordle word yesterday. Wordle in one! I’m both happy and mad about this.
Thanks for this list. I love the idea of continuing to amass used words to see if they reuse words in any kind of pattern.
Be well.
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I did the same Lori. That was fun to get a one. Thanks for helping watch for new patterns.
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There’s an almost infinite number out there, they must have an awfully low opinion of wordlers’ intelligence & curiosity, which is sad for the Times & us.
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Same here, but it was all sadness, not the joy & wonder of my other “1’s”.
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I could not ask yesterday, but I would like to know something, please. On your chronological order of words the first word is CIGAR. And it is numbered 0. Why? It was yesterday’s word as well. Thank you. Please answer using my email if you can.
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Ginny,
#0 is just a geek way of starting a list of numbers. It’s like “origin”. So all of the numbers on the list are “off” by 1 based on how you and I would have done it! I think Josh Wardle (creator) was being funny.
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Love your list, I use it every day. Thanks for the work you put into it. For duplicates that started Feb. 2nd, will you indicate that a word has been used twice? Maybe add the number 2 after it? Thanks!
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Ann,
That’s exactly what I’m doing. You can see how CIGAR is listed twice on the ALPHA and CHRON list, and all four entries have a “2” to indicate it is duplicate. That way, however you find it on the list you’ll see it is a re-use. TBD how helpful this will be. We need to see if there are any patterns.
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Did they give any indication whether the they will only be reusing past words exclusively , or whether they will possibly be inserting new words into the mix? If reusing exclusively, then we have a complete list of the only words possible! Still useful! Thanks!
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David,
The NYT announcement was a little mysterious, which is a good way to create a buzz. But they said they have plenty of new words and will be “easing in” re-used words. My advice is if you get to the end, favor new words over list words. I wish I had followed my own advice today! 😉
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Is it worth emboldening words when they have been used a second time?
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Johnny,
On the main list I’m adding a “2” to both the latest and oldest entries. You can see how CIGAR has a 2 in all four places across the two lists.
The block list uses a yellow highlight since it has no date / # information.
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Great stuff!! Thanks, Jeb.
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When CIGAR appeared for the 2nd time yesterday, I hunted around for an explanation – and found it on your site. YEAH! Was this a one-off joke for Groundhog Day, as they used Wordle 0 (zero), or will I continue? Many thanks from Mike (UK).
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Mike,
I think it will continue and for now maybe 1 out of 7 will be repeats based on their announcement. Just a guess. I’m going to use the list as a tie breaker because new should have greater odds. A whole lot of TBD.I really liked their Groundhog Day (thinking movie) and choosing the first word idea. Good marketing.
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As far as I can tell, today was the first time a word has been repeated. Do you have insight on whether that will be a trend now?
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Ted,
NYT has not provided a lot of information, but they said they are “easing in” repeat words. So odds are in favor of new words.
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Goodbye Wordle- on to bigger & better word games.
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I don’t know anyone at New York Times to tell. I’m going to keep playing though.
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Out of curiosity, why would this change cause one to quit? It lengthens the lifespan of the game.
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It was always a reliable source of information so that I could stretch my brain to think of NEW words. Not as much fun now.
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Aren’t there more available words for you to use? If you will repeat words already used, then you are basically useless. So sad.
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I’m not the New York Times, Linda. I’m just a guy playing Wordle. 😉
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Why is today’s wordle answer listed on the burnt list at all?!
Listing it- even with a 0 is still listing!-
The list is all past answers by date and sequence #. I do not have access to know what the answers are going to be. How would I remove them?
TBD if there is a pattern to the repeat words that will still help.
Early tip: NYT says repeat words will not be as common as new words, so the list can be a tie breaker between two guesses.
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Oh, and the #0 was the first word and labeled that way. I didn’t invent the numbers.
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Hi Jeb,
I only started following your list a few months ago when I decided to change things up a bit and keep a list of my word guesses and checked them against your list first before making an entry. This did not improve my averages, but it was a different approach to the way I played the game.
I saw that you replied to Laurel earlier today (2/2) with this comment “…there is a limited number of relatively common 5-letter words. Maybe 5,000? So at some point words have to get recycled…” I was curious about how many 5 letter words are there? Not sure if you’ve seen this before but found this posting interesting to at least ponder. Hope it’s OK to share.
Appreciate your website! Keep it going!
https://flavor365.com/the-complete-guide-to-wordles-word-list-2026-update/
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Thanks Irene. That’s a good read. One key is the word “common” and it is very important to the success of Wordle. Who defines common?
We have Josh Wardle’s partner Palak Shah to thank for that list. Some back story from NYT: https://archive.ph/OEpdi
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I had no idea of the game’s origins. Thanks for sharing!
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Thanks for posting this article. I just read it and it is very interesting; however, I take issue with a couple things they said.
“Yes, and The New York Times has standardized the answer list to use American English spellings. The most famous example from the original list was ‘FAVOUR.’ The NYT would almost certainly use ‘FAVOR’ as the answer instead.
However, non-US spellings like ‘FAVOUR’ or ‘FIBRE’ are typically still included in the much larger *guess list*. This means you can use them to test letters, but they will never be the correct final answer.”
This doesn’t make any sense! How could FAVOUR have been on the original list of words when it is six letters?? They even doubled-down and said you can still use it as a guess word. 🤦🏻♀️
A similar error was made later in the article about not using plural words unless they are irregular like GEESE, “but you will never see answers like CARS or DOGS.” Well, I would hope not since they are only four letters! 🙄
I get their intentions, but as a retired editor I’m amazed that these mistakes made it to print. Unfortunately for me, these types of obvious errors drive me a tad insane so I’ll be stewing over them for the rest of the day. 🤷🏻♀️
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Kim, You are my kind of editor! Errors that
drivesdrive us crazy but at least there ishumorhumour in there…. somewhere. 😉
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Today certainly was an interesting surprise as the reused words begin!
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And then some!
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Well, day one of using words that have been used. They used a previous word. This is going to be the end of wordle..
In my opinion. 🤨 -
Today’s (2/2/2026) is the first repeat.
Wonder if they will just start over from the beginning and not re-use words?
If so you should clear the list and start over.-
We don’t know enough yet. For example, is a word used two days ago eligible to repeat? 2 months ago? 2 years ago? One likely scenario is that year #1 words have been made eligible again, and then year #2 will be inserted the next year. If we see that pattern (or if it is announced) then the list has use and we know how to present the list. Clearing the entire list isn’t an answer because we don’t know if any word is ever ineligible. There may be no list.
You will be able to use the list, though (starting tomorrow), where re-used words will be clearly marked but also new *recently* used words will be clearly date stamped.
Is that useful? TBD
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Well, no surprises there – straight out of the gate – a burned word…. i had the letters GIA & thought aha – repeat time, I’ll use AGAIN. Close, but no CIGAR… (til try 4) 😉
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Hah! I hid your comment for now, Glenda, since it is a potential spoiler. But I’ll re-enable it tomorrow. Thanks!
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Sorry Jeb – I play in New Zealand & waited 24 hours thinking that would be long enough..ooops
I love your list (as I no longer need to keep my own) and must say you are an incredibly patient and courteous man – with your responses to us fellow wordlers
I haven’t ‘thrown the toys out of the cot’ yet over the repeat words – that test will come when they do the next one…..
Have a fab day 😊-
Love our players from Down Under. Always leading the way for the day! 😉
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Why does today’s answer have a 0 next to it? Today’s answer is a repeat (per their new rules) but should still have the original time it was played, right. Only tomorrow should you indicate it is a repeat.
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#0 was the very first word. It also has the original date in the CHRON list. John Wardle (who created Wordle) is a coder and #0 can reflect “origin”. Probably a funny geek thing. And yes, new repeat words will be flagged with a “2” starting tomorrow. Both original and repeat will be flagged for clarity. TBD if we see a pattern that keeps the list useful for play. Not sure yet. Thanks for asking David!
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All my questions have been answered. Thanks for taking time to reply to everyone.
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Just an idea and maybe you’ve already gotten it. Now that wordle is reusing words maybe start putting twice-used words in boldface or some such?
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Great minds. Tomorrow at 6 a.m. ET (allows Hawaii to finish the day) I’ve added our first re-used word and added a “2” footnote to indicate it has been repeated twice. I also add the “2” to the older on the CHRON list so if you happen to find the older one when searching on page, you will know it is a repeat.
In the ALPHA list, I include the repeated word twice, each row having the SEQ#, one older and one today. I’ve also added the “2” indicator on both rows, so this means over time the repeats stand out.
NYT may tell us, or we may notice a pattern where all repeats come from “first year words” for example and those are all in play. If we discover that, I want to come up a way to indicate words in play vs words in “time out”.
The space-saving, minimalist BLOCK list used by about 15% of players does not include sequence or dates, so I’m going to just highlight repeat words as a clue. This might eventually become the list of “time-out” words only and I remove the repeats once we figure out the pattern.
Thanks for the feedback David!
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Love this list, used it every day! Assuming you all saw that today’s word was the first word? Are they starting over in order? Does NYT know about this list?
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There are still MANY 5-letter words that they do not need to start over. I keep a list of all my guesses that have and have not been used and there are many.
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👍👍
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You have today’s word (2/2/26) on your list of used words. I could have had a 2 but instead got a 5……
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Kathy, you are a “victim” of New York Time’s “surprise” they announced last week of reusing words. I have no way of knowing ahead of time what words they will reuse, so we are all figuring out how and even if the list can still be useful. You can see a lot of discussion on the feedback page here.
Take a look at the red text at the top of the list page announcing this. There is also a link to the announcement. The chose Groundhog Day to do this (think of the movie) which I thought was funny. But it has been confusing.
Thanks for chiming in!
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Your “new” reusing old words is a lame attempt to keep it going as you run out of 5 letter words…
Why don’t you go to 6 letter words?
My friends and I are losing interest in continuing!-
Well Laurel, let me reframe that for you. First, I’m a player just like you. I’m not the NYT. I didn’t decide anything. Second, there is a limited number of relatively common 5-letter words. Maybe 5,000? So at some point words have to get recycled *if* you want to maintain the 5 x 6 grid (and there are good reasons for that design including the history of this format. Goes back decades.) Personally, I think every day should be random and there would be no need for a list. But the list has been fun (and may continue to be.) I’m going to take a wait and see on what the past word re-use rules are. Hope they publish them. Happy Wordling!
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Congrats on outfoxing the editor today! Your approach just never even occurred to me, even though I included (tentatively) the solution on my list of candidates (which numbered 7). I guess your sneaky streak was wider than mine today.
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Thanks David. I have to thank my sister who said yesterday, “I’m not going to use my usual starter since tomorrow is a past answer.” I had not thought about that impacting my own starter. This is not a normal Wordle day. NYT gets a pass for making it interesting.
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I use this list daily, like so many other people. Today, when I had the first 2 and last 2 letters, only one letter would make a word, and voilà! Then I realized it was on the list – way back. Oh, I remembered, today’s February 2. I’m not happy about this, but the idea of putting a 2 after a doubly-used word, might help. Good luck to us all.
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NYT has certainly created an event. I’m guessing they will say more about what words (if not all) are being reused over what period of time, but they wanted to have an element of surprise. Ok with me. Stay tuned Stacey!
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Today’s word was a repeat from 2021. I didnt think that was allowed
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Ruth, See the news New York Times surprised us with at the end of last week. It is summarized in red at the top of the list. There is an also a link to the announcement. The list will start highlighting repeat words. TBD if the list remains useful, but I suspect it will be.
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Oh, now I’m reading the comments. I guess people don’t understand what SPOILER means! Might as well just give it away.
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Thanks Mike. I’ve hidden some of the spoiler comments for now but will re-enable them tomorrow. A lot of people have been taken by surprise.
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There are 2,315 possible five-letter words in Wordle, while 12,915 five-letter words are valid in Scrabble. May 2, 2025
Per Google.-
That’s slightly incorrect. There were 2315 answers from the creator of Wordle (Josh Wardle). There were 6 removed by NYT and 31 added. Thus far only one repeat “CIGAR”. You can enter 12,966 possible words in NYT Wordle.
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Update. Technical audits of the program say there are 14,855 possible words that can be entered.
That’s 1,889 more words added to the enterable list.
That doesn’t mean that they have all been added to the answer list though.
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Today’s word appears to be significant. Will you speak to that significance, or your take on that, tomorrow?
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I guessed they might do that, so I got my first “one” today. It isn’t really in the spirit of random, but it’s entertaining and provocative. I’ve had to hide some of the comments that were too spoilly but I’ll turn them all back on tomorrow morning after Hawaii is done playing.
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Why was today’s word on the used word list?
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See the red text at the top of the list, Jose. New York Time surprised us. There is also a link at the top to the announcement. This is going to be a big puzzle for us to figure out.
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Five Forks made a mistake in list as 2/2/26 Wordle answer is already on your list as a word answer at the beginning of Wordle game history …please respond Five Forks
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Hiding your comment until Feb 3, Diane because it is a bit spoiler. But no, it is not a mistake. The list will be the history of answers with dates and sequence numbers. Starting tomorrow, you will see how repeat words will be indicated with a “2” and that should help.. TBD how to use the list because we don’t know what the rules are yet.
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Definitely a recycle.
Did NYT commit to burning word again, or will they be allowed to always use all words, burned or not?-
This was all done in a big teaser fashion. I thought it was hilarious to start this on Groundhog Day. Got a lot of attention. I hope the editor comes out and explains the re-use rules. If not, we’ll watch for patterns.
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I have not been able to find any announcement about how re-use words will be introduced. I think NYT wanted to this to be a fun surprise, and I have to admit, I liked the way the rolled it out. I suspect we’ll hear more soon to figure out how the list should be changed or even if a list can help anymore. I’m guessing it will.
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Your list is now a spoiler it seems. You posted today’s (Feb 2nd) Wordle answer in your list with the number 0 (zero) next to it. Hope this was a mistake that won’t be repeated. I like your list but this change makes it worthless to me.
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Hah. You just did the spoiler. Not me! I’m going to hide your comment for the day.
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I don’t like repeating words, but the word they started with was well played. If they really wanted to commit to it, they’d use the same word tomorrow, too, and maybe more.
For now, I’d suggest continuing to track, but add a column showing the date(s) a word was previously used. Should be helpful to see if any pattern starts to emerge.
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I agree on well played. No idea what they are going to do. I hid your “SPOILER” comment for the day, and will turn back on tomorrow. Although this is a hard spoil to contain, and really NYT spoiled it in a way by pre-announcing. Still, well played. Thanks Sven!
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What does it mean that a used word is number zero on the list?
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SPOILER!
To answer your question, it’s a practice from digital design; counting starts at zero.
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So this list will serve no purpose? I rely on this list daily. What about deleting all words through December 2025 and starting fresh?
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It depends on NYT’s new “rules” which they have not explained. For example, are they just reintroducing YEAR 1 words for reuse, and then next year YEAR 2 words? If so, the list will still be very useful.
Or are they introducing all but the last month’s words (to avoid back-to-back same answer). Then the list isn’t much use for play.
If they announce this, it would be very helpful. Otherwise we’ll need 10 to 20 reused words to see the pattern.
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Repeating words after less than 5 years! WtH! This list will be useless then!😡
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Depends. See response to Betsy.
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Today’s word is listed as having already been used.
Don Spigarelli
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Yes, NYT announced the would start reusing words on February 2 (Groundhog day). TBD what it all means.
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Please keep it up
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I will! We have a big puzzle on the reuse rules. Thanks izzi!
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put an * after a repeated word so everyone will know not to use it a third time
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That’s similar to what you’ll see on Feb 3. I’m going to use a “2” footnote and put it on both the older and newer instance so if you are searching you’ll see the “2” no matter what. On the minimalist BLOCK list, I will highlight repeats. Should one repeat repeat again (seems way down the road) I’ll use a “3”.
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Today’s answer was an early answer years ago.
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NYT surprised us introducing re-used words on Groundshog day. Entertaining, but confusing. I’ll be posting changes to the way the list works. I hope they announce the new rules or we can figure out the pattern. The list may still be very useful, but TBD.
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They just repeated an answer, oh dear!
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So I assume that the “Past Wordle Answers” list will only be showing one word on 3rd February? Thanks
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I use the list to find out a new first word that was not spent. Wrecks everything! Avoided today’s answer til #6 when nothing valid remained.
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Repeat words will be indicated for now, until we know if they are reusing all past words or just first year (for example.) TBD.
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Slightly spoilery….
Pattern: I knew a wordle was a used word because of the author of the puzzle.
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And now they changed it from author to Editor. 🙃😆
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Same. My wife and I guessed independently and got our first “hole in one.” That answer is kind of like inside baseball.
Two sport metaphors. Hah.
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Very interesting coincidence(?) to start the re-shuffling?
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It isn’t very random, but I think it is a great way to make the big change of introducing burned words.
My wife and I guessed this separately, but we’re kind of in the business. First hole-in-one!
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This could be a problem
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I think it will still be fun. Wordle is mostly about filtering. And it has the benefit of sharing with friends / family. Might kill my list though, but I’ve always thought they shouldn’t have burned words.
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I think it will still be fun. We just have to figure out what it all means.
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“Starting February 2nd (Groundhog Day), Wordle will start re-using past answers.”
Loooong overdue. I’ve been advocating this for several years.-
I have too. TBD if it ruins the list. I’m hoping they use first year words this year, then second years next year, etc. Or they may just start randomizing all words.
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It seems a word already used was used again today. I would have played it on line 2 or 3, if it hadn’t been listed.
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It’s been an announcement at the top of the list that this was going to be happening. It’s been up there for the past few days.
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Not everyone reads the manuals. But we are thankful to those that do. 😉
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Suspect that it will be a while (another 1600 to 1700 days perhaps) before they use a word a third time. Thus, keeping the list going while keeping track of words used twice might still be useful.
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Thanks for the warning today! (cigar was a previously used word). I am wondering if you will start a new list with today’s word as the first entry.
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spoiler
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They did it today! Today’s word was used on June 19, 2021. I’m so disappointed.
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I predict they go full rando, with the exception of possibly having some fun on holidays. So theoretically, the same word could be used two days in a row (although super low odds).
The list would still be valuable for archival purposes. I am a purist so I only use it post-game anyways
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WHOOOOOOAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!! THANK YOU FOR THE BOMBSHELL NEWS!!!! THIS IS HUGE!!!
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Maybe create a new list with February 2 answers only, since it’s unlikely a word will be used three times. It’d be good to separate out the two lost based off of that date threshold.
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Hey guys, thankyou so much for your efforts, sad news about the allowing repeat words, apparently there’s only 1689 words in common usage 🤔
But seriously, I’ve used your list since I heard about it (played 1332 games now, best streak was 377 thanks to your fantastic list)
Thanks to all at your end from Down Under -
Great thinking, I reckon I’ll keep using the list, looking out for doubles as unlikely candidates 😁
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I’ll make sure the list makes the doubles obvious. I’ll need feedback on that as we go.
Thanks Paul!
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I think that’s a dangerous assumption. We don’t know exactly how this plays out.
I think maintaining a list is still important, it just can’t be used to solve the puzzle. I’m a purist so only used the list post-game, so it still has value even if not used to solve the puzzle.
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Kent,
I don’t recall you explaining how you use the list post-play. Is it a way to keep your memory fresh on used words?
I enjoy the list for some of the fun coincidences it delivers, so I plan on keeping it up, even if we can’t spot a new pattern that helps with solving.
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I would say it’s a way to keep my memory fresh, and it’s just interesting (and sometimes painful) to know if a word was used or not. Plus the archival/historical element (e.g. “Hmmm…when again was the Great Parer Day?”)
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Um yeah, I see what they did there, could this be the start of the pattern? 😄
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Well it’s still yesterday here in Atlanta, so I’m looking forward to trying to see what you mean Nat! 😉
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Use this list every morning. Love it.
My partner DOESN’T because she plays maximal risk. So had to lean on her for the repeat answer today because I didn’t clock the new Groundhog Day rules.
Seems like a mistake. Currently quite proud to be at 98% after 1059 games. That percentage will just go down down down.
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My brothers do not use the list and almost always beat me. So much of guess 1 and guess 2 is about creating filters for a 3. Since I never play burned words (or haven’t) I lose a lot of great filter starts.
So you may end up getting better scores Jfk N!
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Starting 02-February, the New York Times announced on 28-January, they will begin re-using Wordle words. So you might want to update the text on your useful Wordle page.
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Good idea Lo. I just put a bold red statement at the top.
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I’ve kept my own list but your list has been my “go to” everyday due to its ease and fun facts. My current solve average of 3.71 over nearly 1,400 days will definitely go down. But that’s life. I’ll still use your list and will appreciate your noting any repeats. Thx!
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I think list users are more involved in the game. To quote my non-list youngest brother: “I don’t want to put extra time into it.” NYT should listen to the list users! 😉
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I wish it would just pop up with “solution 976” like when it pops up “not in word list” so then players would know it was a burned word but could still choose to use it strategically, or not. The popularity of this site is proof it’s something players would enjoy, especially if you could turn that feature on or off!
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I’ve always thought they should do that, too. Sort of a built in “list”.
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I’m glad I tuned in in time to hear the repeated words announcement. Have they said why they’rec starting over? My start word hasn’t been used yet. Wordle would not let me use if it weren’t legal! Would it?
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They are more than half way through the predetermined pool of common words. At some point, they need to reintroduce words, so now is good a time as any. TBD what the rules / patterns of reintroduction are. I’ll keep up the list and we can all look for those patterns together.
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I was using ROATE, which is a financial acronym. It is accepted as a try, but would never be a solution. Perhaps your situation is similar? I have since changed to ORATE- same letters, but an acceptable solution.
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I started with ORATE but switched to ROATE because more words start with R, then back to ORATE, still hoping for a 1.
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Yes, Wordle DOES allow you to use words that will never be a “solution” word.
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I’m glad I tuned in in time to hear the repeated words announcement. Have they said why they’rec starting over? My start word hasn’t been used yet. Wordle would not let me use if it weren’t legal! Would it?
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Suggest making repeat words different color in the alpha list. Only use number for most recent appearance.
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I’m thinking along those lines, too. I know some people have problems with colors, so may need to be a mix of color and some kind of “age” number or character.
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Maybe an asterisk to denote word’s second appearance
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Oops I should have read the note at the top before replying.
It is interesting that cigar was the first word used way back and was first repeated word.
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Starting Monday previously used words are back in the mix. Are you going to start a ‘used twice’ list ?
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Bummed about the doubling up. Maybe I’ll start going for speed. My sister with the big brain+amazing streak and stats will be sad.
I’ve enjoyed this list btw -
I want to come up with a way to display multiple use including how recently last used, especially if we discover there is a “time out” pattern. For example, we may notice that repeat words all come from greater than 1 year, 2 years, or 3 years ago. If we can establish that pattern, then I need to come up with a visual way to show “in play” vs “time out”.
I could continue to keep the full archive list, but yeah, show the smaller “in time out” list (which is what we are mainly looking for.)
If the time-out is only 1 week or 1 month, the primary purpose of the list evaporates. But it still may be useful for archival reasons.
T. B. D.! Thanks Michael!
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First saw the announcement and the link to Groundhog Day and thought just a joke. Hopefully it isn’t a common thing, especially with some groups of letters having multiple possibilities. I vote to keep the list if you can. It does help!
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Thanks Dennis. I’ll keep up the list even if it loses the daily use, but is only for just archival curiosity.
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I don’t necessarily mind that words can be reused EXCEPT for setups like _OUND where you can exhaust letters and still not have the solution even if you got those 4 letters in the first guess (because B, F, H, M, P, R, S, W all work). It’s especially true if playing on hard mode and ultimately the only reason I don’t activate it, though still usually follow hard mode rules unless we get a setup like this and I’m on guess 4 with more than 2 options left.
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I call those “Rhyme Traps” and the list can get you out of that trap!
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Yeah, but once repeats are in play, all bets are off
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Best way to avoid word trap is to strategically eliminate words. For example, HUMPY eliminates three words. I have avoided every single word trap using this method.
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My rant for the day…the news that on February 2 NYT will start reusing words really triggers me. It’s a policy shift that is total rubbish! Why do that!? There are literally tens of thousands of unused words they could chose from. I see no rhyme or reason behind this beyond making the game harder. The fiveforks PU list is the best one out there and I use it every day. It saves me from going x/6 all the time. You can add this to their other BS policy of ending your streak if you miss a day. A streak is consecutive wins NOT consecutive DAYS of winning! They do that to compel you to play every day so you are exposed to the BS ads they lard on the game. A pox on the Wordle editors!
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To give you some history, there were only about 5,000 “common” words in the original game. Common was defined by John Wardle and his girlfriend going through and just deciding that. The New York Times has done some tweaking to the list.
John Wardle liked the idea of a sense of growing “scarcity”. At some point they had to “reshuffle” the deck.
Personally, I’ve always thought every day should be random from the pool and not worry about answers repeating even two days in a row (not at all likely.) That would put my list out of business!
Thanks for the feedback Lane! Happy Wordling no matter!
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So when the NYT took over, they halved John Wardle’s list, as they have only 2,309 in their list! NYT needs to expand their list back to the original. In fact, they could add even more as I’m sure that out of the 158,000 five-letter words in the OED they could find a few more.
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Lighten up, Francis.
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On 29JAN26 the word EASEL is next to itself in the alphabetical list and the chronological list
*Accidentally originally submitted as a reply
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Slim Shady is in the house with a great spot! This rare event is like a solar eclipse. And it happens to have an up arrow in line. Thanks for reporting Marshal M!
I was able to go back to the Jan 29 WayBackMachine and get the screen cap! (I have a WBM script that captures the list daily.)
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After today, LUCKY is going to have an eclipse, too!, oh, wait, the list needs a new word above it for that to happen, hmmm
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And using your WBM , I discovered LUCKY had an eclipse on the same day as EASEL, wowwww!
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Oops, I think LUCKY’s eclipse happened yesterday, maybe?
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I suggest dropping words after a year.
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Putting words in “time out” for a year is a top possibility. We should be able to spot the pattern pretty quickly, and if that is the case, I can enhance the list to indicate which words are in time-out.
If time-out is only a week, then the list would not be very useful. Although I have a hard time remembering yesterday! 😉
Thanks Suzanne!
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WordleBot thinks the timeout is one year. When you set it to “PU aware” it as of 2/2 gives odds of less than .1 percent for words numbered above about 1350. All other PU words are back to their original odds.
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It looks as though it’s a sliding scale. I see words numbered as early as 1301 with <1%. Words from the first year seem to have their full odds. For those in between the odds appear reduced. I'm still trying to determine the pattern and cutoffs.
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Any thoughts yet on today’s announcement in the Gameplay newsletter that solutions may be repeated started Monday?
If you’re not subscribed, I believe you can read the latest newsletter in a browser by going to this page: https://www.nytimes.com/newsletters/gameplay and then click the “Read the latest” link.
Love your site & regularly recommend it as the best one of its kind. Cheers! 🍻
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Here is the NYT announcement:
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January 28, 2026
By New York Times Games
Hey, Wordlers! We have some exciting news to share. Starting on Monday, we will begin adding previously run words back into play. There are still many first-time answers to debut, but also more chances for Wordle in ones and those magical, serendipitous moments when Wordle overlaps with real life. Happy solving!
_____________________________________Thought 1: Funny. It’s Ground Hog Day (one of my favorite movies.) So that’s a perfect day to do it *or* it’s a good alternate April Fool’s prank.
Thought 2: I’ve always thought Wordle should randomly sort in past answers maybe after 1 month or 1 year. Why “burn words” for 3 years?
Thought 3: I’ll modify the list to keep it as useful as possible. If enough of us find it useful (including me!) I’ll keep it going. Displaying multiple use dates and answer #’s might be helpful. If we discover a pattern like “time-out for x months” then that can also be flagged.
Happy Wordling! — Jeb
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P.S.
Let me know what you guys think… and help figure out if a list is still useful!-
FWIW Jeb, I think you’re dead on about how a PU list will remain useful: I bet they won’t let a word repeat within a year at least, and maybe two or more. And excellent connection to Groundhog Day! I had not noticed that. Cool!
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Ditto for all your thoughts, Dez.
I’ve always kept a list of my own words, both as possibilities and then used as they come along. It keeps me busy, and mine is as imperfect as I am! Five Forks list has been the Bible, though… and so appreciated! Even still, I’m with scratching my head for an hour, sometimes when I need to be moving on with my day…
I do treasure the connections. It kept alive for me In this simple daily practice with friend groups.
Thanks for keeping up on the news!
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Honestly I’m kind of bummed out by this news. I think it removes a layer of strategy from the game and will lead to a lot more 5 or 6 attempt solutions. Also it will be a return to more x/6 outcomes caused by “rabbit hole” words with a myriad of possible options.
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I agree! You expressed the same thoughts I had about the news. Also, I like Jeb’s idea of showing repeats in the archive.
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I agree, Five Forks has been essential for me but now it’s usefulness has been vastly reduced.
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My opinion/suggestion/possibility:
Start a new list titled:
Post-Reboot Past Used Wordle Words –
Alphabetical Answers List, No Spoiler.Or something like that, and sunset the current list however you see fit.
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I feel it’s very stressful to just make this random announcement from the NYTimes Game Dept with no other info about it. And I don’t see a need for these past solutions, many of them ones I’d rather not Ever see again, like Corer or Atria. But, honestly, I am just an average player (which is why I have enjoyed your list so much and have mentioned it as much as possible over in the Wordle community). I don’t think I will be skilled enough to keep much of a streak going, after this change, so I kinda wish they would get rid of streaks. Which would be selfish of me to impose, if I could. Likewise I find their decision to throw in the pu words again a bit selfish. It pleases some, but many also seem worried by it, at least going by comments I’ve read. I think it will be boring to see past words, at least the ones I remember. I also think now this will make using your list more difficult. I don’t have lots of time to devote to this game. Just an average player and so, to me, I don’t see the point of this unless they’ve truly run out of words.
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This. Thanks for expressing how I feel, too, Clear Thinker.
The PU words list helped me further enjoy a game that I want to start my day with and then move on. 🙂
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Let’s see how often they use a PU word. I’ve been ambivalent about using your page. It definitely offers an advantage; but on the other hand, without it your chances of solving the Wordle slowly decrease every day.
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What do you mean..”Begin adding burned words in”?
It’s all or nothing as far as I’m concerned…
Personally, I think the database should be complete every day… like a roulette wheel…
All words, every day should be in play to be fair to the dealer (YOU) and the players (US)-
I’ve always thought your roulette idea, James, would be better. And if the same word appears back to back (long odds) then that would just be amazing.
However, Josh Wardle, the creator said “the sense of growing scarcity” was important to the game success. He thinks more about game design than I do, so I’ll give him that.
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My immediate thought was also that it was a joke based on it being Groundhogs Day, but it is likely true. I don’t like it AT ALL. In fact, it stressed me out when I first read it. For me, puzzles need to be black and white. There shouldn’t be any ambiguity. Bringing back burned words grays out the puzzle. Horrible idea!
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Apparently there was no indication of how often a PU word would be used. Once a month? a week? randomly? And how many times can a word be used. 2, 3, 4 or more times? It would be nice to know as it will affect any new strategy I have to come up with. As for the PU list, it will be useful for quite some time until too many double words causes too many glitches.
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You are spot on, William. NYT does not explain a lot of detail on the rules which is probably intentional. Keeps the players guessing. But we should be able to spot a pattern that answers some of your questions within a few months, perhaps.
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Just wondering why NYT didn’t go with “s” plurals instead of recycling burned words…
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I love your list and not in love that they’re going to use burned words. Thanks for keeping on top of it and keeping track.
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They only have around 2000 words as official answers, which lasts for 6 years, so they will be coming close to the end (one website lists oct 2027 as the end date).
The alternative is to make more words official answers, like plurals and proper nouns. But maybe the other 10,000 five letter words out there are too obscure e.g. abmho or yauld. -
Still very useful, as you suggest, to spot a pattern, for example. But also it seems unlikely used words will predominate or even be common, just an option.
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Today’s word showed up in your list with a 0 next to it. Was it the first word reused?
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Tracy, NYT Wordle editor was being a bit cute using the very first word in the game to be the first one to be re-used. All staged to go with Groundhog Day. TBD if future re-use will be random, from a select period, etc. Also, making the first word #0 is coder’s humor. 0 can be thought of as “origin.”
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It’s a previously used word !
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Haha, the “pattern” is a pretty dumb one so far! We’ll have to see where it goes after a few days. Thanks Jeb!
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Oh I don’t love the idea of using burned words again. I think it’s going to be so much harder. Oh no.
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I’m sad about this news, but I do love this list and am glad to see it will still be updated to spot any potential patterns in the process.
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Wow Dez. See what you started! 😉
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After 4 1/2 yrs wordling – I got the answer 1st try today… Yehaa !!!
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HURRAH! CONGRATS!
My brother said the only downside of getting the answer in 1 was he immediately felt like: “Well… I don’t get to play anymore today.”
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I thought so too – as my 2 ‘starter’ words have both been burned this year – but its so addictive, I’m still playing and have 2 new starter words – however, with so many words still available I wont play once they reintroduce burned words – I love getting my answers in 2-3-4 attempts & the current system increases those odds. Very grateful for it Jeb
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A new first place distant neighbor pair.
FREAK > #1682 > 01/26/26
FRESH > #22 > 07/11/21 = 1,660 daysSITAR > #1659 > 01/03/26
SISSY > #2 > 06/21/21 = 1,657 daysSIREN > #1656 > 12/31/25
SISSY > #2 > 06/21/21 = 1,654 days-
Thanks for updating Mike! I’m going to miss the SISSY set when that day comes, but got to get our FRESH FREAK on… :-O
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CIDER 635
CIGAR 02
CIGAR 16892
CINCH 402
CIRCA 678Mike, I had to think about that!
I guess you can’t be a neighbor to yourself. -
Mike,
Just thought of this. When CIGAR repeated, it earned a second entry on the ALPHA and CHRON lists. It keeps the list accurate historically. But it also created a very distant neighbor pair!? Only with itself? I’m not sure that counts. It’s like some Star-Trek Twin-Paradox Time-Travel thing.-
Jeb,
For the distance record, I think we should calculate the distances between the newly repeated word and its original neighbors. This case would not then be a record.
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Hi FiveForks!
Your website is the best!!
Since yesterday, when I open the website, it’s in an endless loop of refreshing. When I click the X, sometimes the entire page loads, but sometimes I only get a partial list of previously used Wordle answers. I tried using Samsung Internet, DuckDuckGo browser, and Chrome, all with the same results. You probably already know about the problem, but just in case, I wanted to let you know. Thank you!!
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Thanks Lisa. I have disabled some new “refresh” code on the Main list that may be causing the problem. The new code is still on the “Block” list so I can do some compare and contrast testing.
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Lisa,
I have patched the new refresh code. There was a bug that could impact older Samsung phones. Now there should only be one auto-refresh per 24 hours. Fingers crossed!-
Thanks Jeb!!
The patch has corrected the problem on my S23 Ultra. Thank you for the quick and excellent fix!! 🫶
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new BFF’s sulky sully sumac
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Tell us more, carry.
I see they are all currently neighbors on the list…
SULKY #682
SULLY #1676
SUMAC #1674-
sully sumac only 2 numbers apart #1674 -#1676
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Got it! The close neighbors in both alpha position *and* time!
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Mate, you’ve got FIERY out of order in the alphabetical list.
Thanks for doing what you do; you are a part of our morning every day.-
Thanks Garry! I’ll blame thinking “I before E… E before I….” 🙂
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I’m sure the is an obvious answer but what do the numbers after the words mean?
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The main list includes the sequential answer #. This is more apparent in the chronological list that incudes the date, but the sequential # is also on the alpha sort list. The first answer was CIGAR #0. Not sure why Josh Wardle started with 0 vs. 1, but it could be because he is a coder, and 0 can mean “origin”.
Thanks for asking Suzanne!
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I don’t see FIERY in the alphabetical list.
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Mike, FIERY was added at roughly 6:05 am ET Jan 18. The main list and alpha list auto-update at the same time. Because the prior day’s pages are cached in CloudFlare for 24 hours, I have a script runs at 6:15 a.m. to clear the CloudFlare cache. However, your local browser cache does not always easily refresh, requiring a manual refresh *or* using the “cache busting” recycle button at the top of the list. Cache busting is tricky. -Jeb
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Okay, I’ve tried clearing the cache, 3 different devices, and 2 different browsers, but yesterday’s word, SUMAC, is on the Block List but not on the Main List.
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You aren’t crazy. For some reason today’s Main List update was stuck in CloudFlare’s proxy. I did a manual clear and now it shows. That’s a new one.
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Update. I did some serious code rework on the auto-refesh and manual refresh Recycle button. It counts off the hours since the last update you are looking at. Hope this keeps the list fresh!
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What happened to your site? I’ve used this sordid site for months but now every time I try to use it , it immediately opens an ad with no way to get back to your page. I had to try 6 times before I could even get this Feedback link to work.
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R.G: I’m sorry to hear about a nasty “ad hog” hitting you. The site is supported with the most minimal Google Ad settings meant to only show one small ad per day. However, sometimes malicious ads get through Google that will take over your screen. I have had to block those advertisers directly. If you can provide the URL or brand name of the ad, I can look into blocking. But I will also go see if I can spot anything bad now. –Jeb
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Thanks for your list, very helpful! I believe you’re missing the word GUSTO.
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Thanks for the feedback Michelle! I researched some other sources and it appears GUSTO is still available. Good word!
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Any idea why agora was changed? I can understand the others.
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NYT made the change because AGORA was deemed too obscure. Thanks for asking!
https://mashable.com/article/wordle-241-glitch-answer
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Thank you for doing this. No corrections to offer: just appreciation for the times I feel like using it. A great service to the Wordle world.
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You are welcome, Kathleen! Thanks for the feedback!
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Block list – A-words and B-words run together. Please add separator between them.
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Fixed. Thanks Jim. It’s been that way for about a week, and I worry “did I delete some words?” so I did an audit. All three lists align: Alpha / Chron / Block.
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Thanks to the astute observations of Dennis Kill and Jeb, we can enjoy the top three distant neighbor pairs, all of which exceed 1,600 days!
SITAR > #1659 > 01/03/26
SISSY > #2 > 06/21/21 = 1,657 daysSIREN > #1656 > 12/31/25
SISSY > #2 > 06/21/21 = 1,654 daysPOSSE > #1660 > 01/04/26
POUND > #49 > 08/07/21 = 1,611 days-
By the way Jeb, POSSE is #1660 (typo in 2 places).
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Typo fixed for POSSE #1660 both places. (And also FILLY #1661 since I incremented off the error.) Thanks Mike!
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This just in:
FEIGN #19
FIERY #1673
A tie for 2nd?
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New distant neighbors SISSY and SITAR
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This is amazing. What are the chances? Nice spot Dennis!
SIREN #1656
SISSY #2
SITAR #1659-
Yes, that is very cool. And if SIRUP (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sirup) is ever an answer, I’ll be shocked!
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Big jump in the Distant Neighbor race breaking well past the 1,600 gap!
SIREN > #1656 > 12/31/25
SISSY > #2 > 06/21/21 = 1,654 daysCOLIC > #1623 > 11/28/25
COLON > #25 > 7/14/21 = 1,598 daysMAKER > #1614 > 11/19/25
MAJOR > #20 > 7/9/21 = 1,594 days-
Wow! Nice. I missed that one, and now there’s a new no. 2.
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And Dennis spotted this! What are the odds?
SIREN #1656
SISSY #2
SITAR #1659-
I meant POSSE as no. 2, not seeing SITAR, that pushed it to no. 3!
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When I miss a day (which unfortunately happens more than I would like) I come here just to make sure my current first word guess hasn’t been added to the list. Thanks for keeping it up to date.
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That’s a good idea, Linda. You want to keep your “hole in one” option in play!
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Hello! Thanks for this useful list. I just happened to notice that FRUIT is in the wrong spot—between FRITZ and FROCK.
Have a great day!
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Thanks for catching Susan! The list now has FROZE(n) FRUIT! 😉
FROZE 763
FRUIT 1654
FUGUE 1604
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Hi! Thank you so much for maintaining this list. I use it every day! Today I think I found a word out of order in the alphabetical list: FRUIT is currently placed after FRITZ and before FROCK. Just thought you would want to know.
Thanks again!
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Thank you Melanie. U before O???? What was I thinking? Fixed!
FROZE 763
FRUIT 1654
FUGUE 1604
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Nice! Happy New Year!
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Perhaps they could start by adding words from 2021 and 2022, or don’t we get any say in that?
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Spoiler alert.Today’s answer is indicated on FF!!
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That’s the challenge Ross. The answer today has not been posted with today’s # and date. But yes the older one is. Should every word prior to Feb 2 be removed? Not sure until we know if all or only older words were put in play. Starting tomorrow, the previous day’s answer will be indicated with a “2” as a repeat (if it is a repeat.) TBD if that is going to be useful.
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Interesting how they did that with the first reuse. Wish I had taken the bait and tried it as my first guess, but still got it in two. Curiouser and curiouser how this will pan out.
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