Absurdle

How does the answer keep changing?

At the start, every word in the list could be the answer. When you guess, the game sorts all those words by the colour pattern your guess would get. It then keeps the biggest group and shows you that group's colours. Each guess narrows the list, but the game always gives away as little as it can.

You win when only one word is left and you guess it. There is no guess limit, so the goal is to win in as few guesses as you can. The status line above the board shows how many words are still possible.

How do you beat a word that fights back?

1. Split the list evenly. Guesses with many common letters break the list into many small groups, so the biggest group is smaller.
2. Avoid rare letters early. A guess full of rare letters mostly gets grey, which keeps a huge group alive.
3. Use the remaining count. Watch how many words are left after each guess. Pick the guess that you think will cut it the most.
4. Force a choice at the end. When a few words are left, guess a word that gives each of them a different pattern. Then the game has to commit.

What is a good score?

Rounds take more guesses than a normal word game, because the game never lets a lucky guess land. Keep a note of your best score and try to beat it. The two openers below shrink the list quickly.