By Lson Lee · Indie developer & word game enthusiast

Information theory

Elimination strategy that saves lives

Every gray tile is a rule. The best players treat guesses as experiments—not hopeful stabs—especially when mistakes stack and combos need clean rows.

Gray means absent (with one caveat)

In standard rules, a gray tile says that letter is not in the answer at all—unless you already placed duplicates elsewhere and the game consumed the quota. Never recycle a confirmed gray letter; doing so throws away a whole row in titles where you only get three wrong guesses.

Yellows are positional equations

A yellow says the letter exists but not in that slot. Your next guess should move it to new coordinates while still testing fresh letters. If you park a yellow in the same wrong cell twice, you paid for zero new information.

Avoid repeated letters early

Doubles (LL, EE, OO) shrink the number of distinct letters you sample. Early game, uniqueness wins: five different probes beat four probes plus a duplicate unless you have strong evidence the answer repeats.

Maximize information, not hope

Before you hit enter, ask:

Late game: switch from explore to confirm

Once only a handful of templates remain, switch to confirmatory guesses that still respect unknowns. If you are one life away from failure, prefer the word that is definitely legal and disambiguates the finalists—even if it is not poetic.

FAQ

Is it ever smart to waste a guess on purpose?

Sometimes burning a row to test four new letters beats forcing a premature solve. With only three lives, use intentional sacrifice sparingly—usually mid-game when yellows leave huge ambiguity.

What if the game uses hard mode rules?

Hard mode forces you to reuse revealed greens in place. Elimination still applies: rotate yellows and avoid grays while satisfying fixed slots.

How does elimination help combo scoring?

Clean elimination sequences get you to stable green tiles faster, which keeps consecutive placement bonuses alive. Chaotic guesses reset your mental model and your combo rhythm.

Should I track letters on paper?

If it helps, yes—especially under pressure. A tiny grid of ruled-out letters prevents expensive repeat mistakes.

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