How an ESL Student Will Beat You at Wordle

Or, why you should never make fun of one

Photo by Karolina Grabowska from Pexels

I don’t play games, but Wordle stands out. There’s no commitment required, no button to press for payments, and no becoming addicted. Well, you might develop a mild addiction if you’re competing with others — especially if you’re tied with an ESL student like my husband.

Let me explain if you’re puzzled. Wordle is a brainteaser where you guess the 5-letter word of the day in 6 tries or less. You receive hints with each guess. Correct letters in the right spot are green. Correct letters in the wrong spot are yellow. And all incorrect letters are a discouraging gray.

For each game, I enter whatever 5-letter word first surfaces in my head. If I score green or yellow cubes, I don’t waste turns. I narrow down answers to words containing only correct letters.

Like so. Screenshot by author.

So far, I’m on a winning streak since I started last month. My guess distribution dominates at 3, but my husband hovers between 3–5. How? Is it skill or luck?

You gotta see how he flukes answers.