How to solve today’s Wordle.
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Another lovely fall day, another lovely Wordle to solve, and I’m here to help you solve it. But before we get to today’s Wordle, we have another puzzle to solve. Every Wednesday I hand out an extra assignment: a riddle, brain-teaser or logic puzzle to amp up the challenge a bit. On Thursdays, I provide the answer. First, here was yesterday’s riddle:
The King’s Daughters
Once upon a time, you were a brave hero who saved a kingdom from an evil dragon. The king of this kingdom has three daughters. He tells you that as a reward for your valor, you may choose any of his three daughters’ hands in marriage. There’s a catch, however. When you go choose, each is wearing a veil and you cannot tell them apart. All you know is that the oldest daughter always tells the truth, the youngest daughter always lies, and the middle daughter may tell the truth or may lie. You wish to marry either the oldest or the youngest princess, but not the middle. Asking only one yes or no question of one daughter, how can you assure this outcome?
The answer.
Pick any princess (A) and ask her, while pointing at one of the other princesses (B): “If I asked you, ‘Is the person I’m pointing at the middle daughter?’, would you say yes?”
If the princess replies “Yes” marry princess C. If she replies “No” marry princess B. This works because it cancels out the liar. She would lie about what she would tell you in that circumstance, while the truth-teller would tell you truthfully. Either way, you know that the other daughter is either youngest or oldest. If you happen to be asking the middle princess the question, it won’t matter because you’ll be picking either the oldest or youngest regardless.
Kind of a tricky one! Okay, Wordle time . . . .
Looking for Wednesday’s Wordle? Check out our guide right here.
How To Solve Today’s Wordle
How To Play Wordle
Wordle is a daily word puzzle game where your goal is to guess a hidden five-letter word in six tries or fewer. After each guess, the game gives feedback to help you get closer to the answer:
- Green: The letter is in the word and in the correct spot.
- Yellow: The letter is in the word, but in the wrong spot.
- Gray: The letter is not in the word at all.
Use these clues to narrow down your guesses. Every day brings a new word, and everyone around the world is trying to solve the same puzzle. Some Wordlers also play Competitive Wordle against friends, family, the Wordle Bot or even against me, your humble narrator. See rules for Competitive Wordle toward the end of this post.
Today’s Wordle Hints And Answer
- Wordle Bot’s Starting Word: SLATE
- My Starting Word Today: PLATE (3 words remaining)
- The Hint: Used for woodworking.
- The Clue: This Wordle ends in a vowel.
Okay, spoilers below! The answer is coming!
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The Answer:
Today’s Wordle
Screenshot: Erik Kain
Wordle Bot Analysis
Every day I check Wordle Bot to help analyze my guessing game. You can check your Wordle score with Wordle Bot right here.
Well, using words close to the Wordle Bot’s starting word has certainly paid off. PLATE left me with three yellow boxes and one green “E” and just 3 words remaining: TABLE, LATHE and LATKE. I was pretty sure TABLE had already been used, and I didn’t even think of LATKE, so the only word I could think to use at this point was LATHE, as in Ursula K. Le Guin’s science-fiction masterpiece, The Lathe of Heaven. Thankfully, that was the Wordle!
Competitive Wordle Score
Today’s Wordle
Screenshot: Erik Kain
It’s no great surprise that on a day I get the Wordle in two, so does the Bot. We get 0 points for tying, and 2 each for guessing in two. Our October totals, with just one day remaining, are now:
Erik: 21 points
Wordle Bot: 8 points
How To Play Competitive Wordle
- Guessing in 1 is worth 3 points; guessing in 2 is worth 2 points; guessing in 3 is worth 1 point; guessing in 4 is worth 0 points; guessing in 5 is -1 points; guessing in 6 is -2 points and missing the Wordle is -3 points.
- If you beat your opponent you get 1 point. If you tie, you get 0 points. And if you lose to your opponent, you get -1 point. Add it up to get your score. Keep a daily running score or just play for a new score each day.
- Fridays are 2XP, meaning you double your points—positive or negative.
- You can keep a running tally or just play day-by-day. Enjoy!
Today’s Wordle Etymology
The word lathe comes from Middle English lath, meaning “a machine for shaping wood.” This in turn derives from Old Norse hlaða (“to pile, load, or store”), related to hladan, meaning “to lade or load.” It’s connected to the idea of laying or placing material—reflected in the Proto-Germanic root hlad- (“to load, heap up”)—and shares ancestry with English lade and load. The modern sense of a rotating tool for shaping wood or metal developed in the 16th–17th centuries.
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