When Josh Wardle first developed Wordle, during the COVID-19 lockdown, the New York-based software engineer surely had no idea he was about to launch a global sensation. Indeed, his initial aim was remarkably modest, with Wardle simply wanting to create a game “for me and my partner to enjoy.”
In October 2021, Wardle released Wordle to the general public. The game soon developed a dedicated following across the globe, with some players taking to social media each day to share tips and their results. Such was the game’s popularity that, in January 2022, it was purchased by The New York Times for an undisclosed low seven-figure sum, though it remained free to play.
During an interview with Newsweek, Erhan Aslan, who teaches linguistics at the University of Reading in the United Kingdom, offered some tips for Wordle players.
“One thing that I think is important in this game is the starting word chosen. Starting off with words that include commonly used vowels, for example, e and a, consonants such as r and t, and sound sequences might be helpful. Choosing a word that starts with q, z, j, or x, for instance, may not be the best choice,” Aslan said.
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He continued: “As you get more feedback after a few guesses, users need to draw on some knowledge of phonics to narrow down or eliminate some words that they might be thinking. For example, if the second letter of the target word is l (indicated by green) and the player feels that the word starts with a consonant, they will need to know that there are only a few consonant cluster possibilities (such as bl, cl, fl, gl, pl, sl).”
The answer to Sunday’s puzzle will be revealed at the end of this article, so scroll down with caution if you want to work it out for yourself.
‘Wordle’ #1,247, Clues for Sunday, November 17
Newsweek has put together five clues to help you solve today’s Wordle brainteaser.
Hint #1: The third and fourth letters are the same.
Hint #2: The answer begins with a common consonant.
Hint #3: Synonyms for Sunday’s Wordle include “poll” and “total.”
Hint #4: The second letter is a vowel.
Hint #5: Associated with counting.
‘Wordle’ #1,247, Answer for Sunday, November 17
The answer to today’s Wordle puzzle is “tally.”
Well, that was a fun one! Did you get it? Congratulations if so, but please don’t be put off if not. Indeed, one of the best things about is seeing if you can improve your results over time.
A new puzzle will be released on Monday, and Newsweek will be back with another round of hints and tips.
What Does ‘Tally’ Mean?
The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines “tally” as “a recorded reckoning or account (as of items or charges).”
For example: “Keep a daily tally of accidents.”