While solving Wordle 9, my fixed thinking led me down a path which precluded a more considered gameplay.
The lessons learnt should serve me well; for I will be mindful not to let this happen again!
Answer to Wordle 9: SERVE
Number of guesses*: 4
*in WittyCulus Challenge Mode
Progression of clues:
- 0 + 1
- 3
- 0 + 1
- 5
Played on Feb 10th 2022 via Wordle Archive
Step-by-Step Replay of Wordle 9 Puzzle
Guess #1
We are starting with the word NAVAL. Won’t be surprised if there is no hit.
Guess #2
Come on! This is the third time a V is inside the answer… and with this, it’s now been 3 times in a row!!! I won’t use LOUIS again; how about STOVE?
Guess #3
I like that — 3 letters fixed 🙂 Immediately I see SKIVE and SIEVE as possible solutions. Will enter MUSIC to test the I.
Guess #4
Wait a sec… I doesn’t exist in the hidden word?! Now I’m lost! Ok, a vowel has to precede VE; if not E, then Y perhaps. But is SKYVE a valid word? Wordle replied it isn’t, so what gives now? I don’t know any words fitting the S_EVE pattern; but all of a sudden I’m beating myself up! It is SERVE, silly old me!!!
Not quite a good game there, stalling at a mental roadblock created out of following a fixed train of thought!
As I look back, I realise I have played move #3 wrongly. The U can’t be in there, otherwise the word would be SUAVE.
A better test word is SKIVE, with a chance at winning in 3 guesses; and if no win, at least we will get to see if I and/or K are in play.
That would have been the calculated risk worth taking, instead of wasting a move outright.
Then again, I had locked myself in too soon going with what I “saw” (in SIEVE and SKIVE)! That blinded me to the R, which was not tested. I might not have entered SERVE in the third move when aware of other possibilities, but would have tried a word like MURKY instead of MUSIC.
Invaluable lessons learned there!
