OMG, I’ve forgotten to play Wordle 241!
While finishing up my gameplay post on today’s Wordle, I realised that yesterday’s puzzle was left out. Not omitted from publication, but completely missed out.
As in I did not even touch it 🙁
Part of the reason could be my being distracted by Quordle, which I have just come to know about (on the forgetful day). Intrigued, I had spend some moments toying with their Practice Mode to see experience solving 4 Wordle puzzles with the same guesses.
But Wordle 241 wasn’t meant to be, it seems. At least for me, two things got in the way… as you’ll soon find out.
Wordle Archive Bug?! I Can’t Get to Wordle 241 Puzzle
Since Wordle Archive was meant to allow playing of previous Wordle puzzles, at most it will permit access to the prior day’s game as the latest one.
And so, game #241 is the last game playable as of today, Feb 16th. Which is what I needed.
But as I went along with my guessing of the mystery word, it soon became obvious that the answer would be the same as (live) Wordle 242!
“It couldn’t be” — I recall myself thinking that. Thus you will notice how I tried to steer away when confronted with what seemed familiar clues: letters A, O and R; and at the wrong positions.
Reluctantly, I entered the answer I knew (from today’s puzzle) instead of blowing the game up.
But something’s not quite right with that last/latest puzzle on Wordle Archive! Is there a software bug?
(Later on, I found out that the solution to Wordle 241 also contained the same 3 letters; and the A was repeated and located exactly like in puzzle #242!)
Checking For the Bug, Just In Case
Next, I loaded up Wordle 240 from the Archive to run a test. No issue with it, as the answer given tallied with the actual game I had played just 2 days ago.
A simple guess is that there is a “pointer” issue, which happens to be quite a common problem in software code. It is possible that when seeking the last permissible puzzle, things went forward (mistakenly) by a day. Hence, the current day’s game was referenced instead of the one from day before.
As is widely known by now, all the answers to several years’ worth of daily Wordle puzzles are preloaded in the game code itself. So for Wordle Archive (which is based upon the original Wordle, AFAIK) to present a game which requires today’s answer is entirely possible, though not intended.
This is just a conjecture.
But if true, this would be consided a bug* in the software.
*Note to self: I should probably ascertain this by playing today’s game from Wordle Archive after midnight tonight, once I have finished solving the live Wordle game. If the two answers tally once more, the presence of this “pointer” bug can be seen as more concrete I suppose.
Playing Wordle 241 on Rewind — To Be or Not to Be?
So now it looks like I can’t play Wordle 241 after I’ve missed it (due to my forgetfulness)!
Or perhaps if I wait a day or longer, such that the latest game in Wordle Archive isn’t #241 anymore, I still might have a chance to work at the actual puzzle?
Sadly, that can never be now due to the next issue.
What? There is Another Version of Official Wordle?
I did not want to know the answer for Wordle 241 without having played the game myself. Yeah, that’s how serious a Wordle player I am 🙂
Thus, I asked my son if he had solved yesterday’s puzzle; alas, he hasn’t. When he whipped out his mobile phone to have a go (at today’s game since he’s also playing live), I discovered he is using a different version of Wordle on his device.
He told me that his is from New York Times, the very people who bought out the original Wordle game for a tidy sum. He’s playing that version since it was the first link seen when he had searched for Wordle.
I didn’t know NY Time has released their version of Wordle for the public to play. Isn’t that a wee bit early since their acquisition?
Two Different Wordles Now, What Will It Be for You?
As the hints came out from the guesses my boy was making, it became clear that he was solving a different puzzle. (Incidentally, NYT’s Wordle 242 has this for an answer: CAULK).
So now there are two official versions of Wordle? And the two have different solutions for each day’s live game?
By gosh, which version is the true Wordle fan to embrace and follow? (I for one will stick to the original one by Josh Wardle.)
As this was news to me, I had to find out what happened.
According to this The Verge article about NYT’s Wordle, which explained everything clearly, the newer NYT version started out with the same daily puzzles as the game Wardle had offered (to everyone for free). It was only yesterday that it started to depart from the original, for whatever reasons proffered by the buyers.
Not that those reasons don’t make sense, but they don’t really bother me.
No More Wordle 241 for Me, Sadly!
What did get to me is that I inadvertently got to see the answer to Wordle 241 by reading the article from head to tail (as I wanted to know all).
That’s the real spoiler, actually!
Of course I can wait another day to try puzzle 241 (from the Archive). But I can’t do it anymore, knowing the answer (to be AGORA).
As such, I’ve nothing to write about on Wordle 241 gameplay and its solution.
This is all so sad 🙁
