Hey it’s Thanksgiving! Turkey Day! A day of feasting and family and friends!
Before we get to the Wordle, I’d like to just express my gratitude for all of you: I’m so humbled and grateful that you keep coming back to this column day after day to read my silly musings on language, time, the Roman Empire and, of course, Wordle. And to play my little Competitive Wordle spinoff and do the Wordle Wednesday riddles, and so on and so forth. I hope this is an entertaining diversion for you (on top of the entertaining diversion that is Wordle).
Speaking of riddles, here’s yesterday’s:
Riddle: What is there one of in every corner and two of in every room?
The Answer: The letter ‘O’.
Many of you messaged me with the correct answer for this one, bravo!
Oh, and let me know what your favorite Thanksgiving dish is on Twitter or Facebook. I’m awfully partial to stuffing.
Okay, let’s do this Wordle!
How To Solve Today’s Word
The Hint: A popular Netflix show that just aired its final season.
The Clue: This word contains a double letter.
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See yesterday’s Wordle #885 right here.
Wordle Bot Analysis
After each Wordle I solve I head over to the Wordle Bot homepage to see how my guessing game was.
Not too shabby today! Robin didn’t seem like a great guess when only one green box turned over. It wasn’t until after, when I went to see my Wordle Bot analysis, that I realized it had slashed over 2,000 potential solutions down to just 24!
From here, I opted for all new letters, picking Wordle Bot’s favorite opening guess for my second: slate did the trick, cutting the number down to just 2, though I still only had one green ‘N’ in the fifth box and one yellow ‘E’.
All I could come up with at this point was queen, though I learned later hymen was another possible solution. A very feminine pair of words! Weirdly, Wordle Bot’s third guess was women. In any case, the queen won the day! Huzzah!
Today’s Score
I get 1 point for guessing in three and 1 point for beating the Bot, who took four tries today. 2 points! Huzzah and hurrah!
Today’s Wordle Etymology
The word “queen” has a rich etymological history, tracing back to various languages and periods. Here’s a brief overview:
- Old English: The word “queen” originates from the Old English word “cwēn,” initially meaning “woman,” but later evolving to mean “wife” and specifically “wife of a king.”
- Proto-Germanic Roots: The Old English “cwēn” is believed to have descended from the Proto-Germanic “*kwēni-z,” which also meant “woman.” This Proto-Germanic root is also the source of similar words in other Germanic languages, like “kona” in Old Norse, which also meant “woman.”
- Indo-European Connections: The Proto-Germanic term is linked to the broader Indo-European family of languages. It shares similarities with the Gothic word “qēns,” meaning “wife,” and possibly with the Sanskrit word “gnā/ज्ञा,” meaning “woman.”
The transition of the word from simply meaning “woman” or “wife” to specifically referring to “the wife of a king” reflects historical changes in societal structures and the importance placed on royal and noble titles. Over time, “queen” has come to be exclusively associated with the female consort of a king or a woman reigning in her own right.
Play Competitive Wordle Against Me!
I’ve been playing a cutthroat game of PvP Wordle against my nemesis Wordle But. Now you should play against me! I can be your nemesis! (And your helpful Wordle guide, of course). You can also play against the Bot if you have a New York Times subscription.
Here are the rules:
- 1 point for getting the Wordle in 3 guesses.
- 2 points for getting it in 2 guesses.
- 3 points for getting it in 1 guess.
- 1 point for beating me
- 0 points for getting it in 4 guesses.
- -1 point for getting it in 5 guesses.
- -2 points for getting it in 6 guesses.
- -3 points for losing.
- -1 point for losing to me
You can either keep a running tally of your score if that’s your jam or just play day-to-day if you prefer.
Read the full article here
