A SMALL GUIDE TO BETTER DEDUCTION
Repeated letters, explained.
A gray letter can still belong in the answer when another copy of it is green or yellow. Wordle feedback accounts for each occurrence, so extra copies turn gray after the available copies are used.
ALLEY against APPLE
The exact pattern is GYBYB: green, yellow, gray, yellow, gray. This example explains scoring; that row has several matches in our common-answer list, so it is not presented as a unique generated puzzle.
| Position | Clue letter | What the feedback means |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | A ● | A is fixed in position 1. |
| 2 | L ↔ | One L exists, somewhere other than position 2. |
| 3 | L − | There is no second L. L is also excluded from position 3, or this tile would be green. |
| 4 | E ↔ | E is required somewhere other than position 4. |
| 5 | Y − | Y is absent because no Y copy is colored. |
Why greens are assigned first
A letter already in its correct position uses one available copy of that letter. Only the copies left after all greens are assigned can produce yellow tiles. Counting yellows before reserving greens can give an extra copy a false yellow.
The three count rules
- Only gray copies of a letter: its count is zero.
- Colored copies without a gray copy: at least that many copies are needed.
- Colored and gray copies together: exactly the number of colored copies is needed.
Check a real input
Open this example in the Solver to see every matching common answer. Switch to the accepted-guess list to see how dictionary choice changes the candidate count.
Explore ALLEY in the Solver →Independent guide. Examples use the disclosed historical dictionary. Sources and method