Wordle's upgraded WordleBot now thinks more like a human player
Wordle, The New York Times (NYT)-owned popular word game received a companion named 'WordleBot' in April. The NYT has now introduced WordleBot 2.0 with a few upgrades. The upgrade removes the bot's 2,300-word Wordle solution list and puts it on a more even footing with humans. The bot also gets a new recommended word in both regular and hard modes.
WordleBot now has an approximately 4,500-word dictionary
Until now, WorldeBot's analysis was limited to a subset of 2,300 words called Wordle solutions. This meant that the bot could have judged any word not part of the solution harshly. The upgrade gives the bot a roughly 4,500-word personal dictionary of words a player might guess. These relatively common words are assigned a probability of being the solution.
Why does this story matter?
WordleBot has been a welcome addition for those who play Wordle regularly. However, the bot's limited dictionary meant that it unfairly judged some words. The upgrades make it work like how a typical player would think. This is bound to attract more players to WordleBot. The bot's ability to show what other players did in similar situations is also a welcome change.
Bot will recommend most common words appeared in the NYT
With the update, the word recommended by WordleBot will depend on how common a word is. This is measured by a word's appearance in the NYT since 2010. The bot will consider plural nouns and past-tense verbs less likely as they have rarely been solutions. It will also take into consideration whether a word is more likely to be interpreted as a name.
SLATE and LEAST are the new recommended opening words
The new adjustments have led to a change in the recommended starting word. The starting word has changed from CRANE to SLATE in regular mode and from DEALT to LEAST in hard mode. The recommendations are the best opening guesses. However, according to NYT, CRANE and DEALT are still great openers and the difference between the best opening guess and the second-best is minuscule.
You'll be able to see how other players reached solutions
The upgrade makes WordleBot fairer. It now rewards guesses that are expected to reveal more information about the remaining words. NYT has also added a new stat called 'Info Gained.' This information meter will advance based on your guesses. Another change brought by the update is the ability to see a step-by-step animation of how other players arrived at a solution.
WordleBot is not a free service
Although Wordle still remains free for all, WordleBot is exclusive. It is only available to paying subscribers of Times Games or News. All access subscribers will also be able to use WordleBot.
