How to solve today’s Wordle.
Happy Halloween!
Trick or Treat!
Actually, those could both be good opening words for today’s Wordle, though I like treat better since it has two vowels. I used a word with three vowels for my opener today, though I had a hard time deciding. Some of my opening guess ideas today were: ghoul, witch, sneak, candy, ghost but I ended up choosing alien because of all those juicy vowels.
In any case, I hope you have fun today whether you’re off trick-or-treating with your kids, headed to a costume party or just chilling out at home with a good scary movie.
Okay let’s do this Wordle!
How To Solve Today’s Word
The Hint: Grim.
The Clue: I wasn’t kidding about the good opening word idea up above.
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Today’s Wordle
See yesterday’s Wordle #863 right here.
Wordle Bot Analysis
After each Wordle I solve I head over to the Wordle Bot homepage to see how my guessing game was.
Very, very insanely lucky guesses today, though you can see how treat would line you up nicely for the answer.
I was lucky enough to get 1 green and 2 yellow boxes, so I just moved around the letters and tried to think of another Halloween-esque word I could use. There wasn’t a ton to choose from even though I had 24 remaining words.
I was tempted to guess slate given that would work and it’s such a popular guess, but I really wanted to stay with the Halloween them for as long as possible. Elate and clear both sounded like good ones, but when I finally realized bleak would work, well, that felt closest to Halloween.
And lo and behold, it was the correct answer! Huzzah!
Wordle Bot actually suggested I should have guessed brats in this situation, even though that couldn’t have been a correct answer, simply because it would have eliminated a lot of words. That would have been Halloween-appropriate also!
Today’s Score
I get 2 points for guessing in three and 1 point for beating Wordle Bot who took three guesses today. 3 points! I’m the king of the world!
Today’s Wordle Etymology
The word “bleak” has its origins in the Old Norse language. Here’s a brief etymology:
- Old Norse: The term can be traced back to the Old Norse word “bleikr,” which meant “pale” or “whitish.”
- Old English: In Old English, the word “blāc” (pronounced somewhat like “blake”) meant “pale,” “wan,” or “colorless,” and it’s believed to have been influenced by the Old Norse “bleikr.” Over time, the pronunciation and spelling evolved.
- Modern English: In modern English, “bleak” has come to mean “lacking in warmth, life, or kindliness.” It can also refer to something that is “exposed and barren” or “cold and raw,” echoing the idea of something being devoid of life or warmth. Additionally, “bleak” can describe a situation that appears hopeless or grim.
It’s worth noting that there’s another word “bleak” in English, which refers to a type of small freshwater fish. This term has a different etymology, coming from the Old English “blǣc,” which meant “shining” or “white,” likely referring to the fish’s shiny appearance.
Play Competitive Wordle Against Me!
I’ve been playing a cutthroat game of PvP Wordle against my nemesis Wordle But. Now you should play against me! I can be your nemesis! (And your helpful Wordle guide, of course). You can also play against the Bot if you have a New York Times subscription.
Here are the rules:
- 1 point for getting the Wordle in 3 guesses.
- 2 points for getting it in 2 guesses.
- 3 points for getting it in 1 guess.
- 1 point for beating me
- 0 points for getting it in 4 guesses.
- -1 point for getting it in 5 guesses.
- -2 points for getting it in 6 guesses.
- -3 points for losing.
- -1 point for losing to me
You can either keep a running tally of your score if that’s your jam or just play day-to-day if you prefer.