Wordle is a simple game in many respects. The vast majority of users play using the default settings, where you can guess any letter on any turn.
But a smaller slice of players (you may be one) choose to play in “hard mode,” which adds a major constraint: Any revealed hints must be used in subsequent guesses. If letters turn yellow and green, you are forced to use them in your next guess.
So you might think that hard mode is harder — it says so in the name. But as Wordle turns 5 years old Friday, an analysis of 730 million games from the last year says the opposite: Players in hard mode solve in fewer turns on average. In standard mode, you have more freedom to test other letters.
In particular, you have a much better opportunity to extricate yourself from traps — like having BATCH, CATCH, LATCH, MATCH and PATCH remaining — and avoid crashing out. (In hard mode, once ATCH turns green, you’re forced to end each additional guess with ATCH.
) Yet the data reveals another surprise: Those in hard mode have a lower rate of failing to solve in six turns. Loading starting word tables.
If you guess BATCH, you may solve it, but you'll most likely have four possible solutions left CATCH, LATCH, MATCH, PATCH If you guess BLIMP, you’ll be guaranteed to solve on your next turn If you guess BATCH, you may solve it, but you'll most likely have four possible solutions left If you guess BLIMP, you’ll be guaranteed to solve on your next turn We are having trouble retrieving the article content.
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