Welcome back to my weekday Wordle Answer Diary, where I take you step-by-step through my own Wordle puzzle efforts. In this entry, we're tackling today's Wordle #257.
For those unfamiliar with Wordle (in which case, kudos for getting here), The New York Times’ (recently-purchased) daily word game asks you to guess a five-letter word in six tries. Simple right?
If you just want to skip to today's Wordle answer , (and yes, we have a page to do just that), you can depart right now. But what would be the fun in that?
You want to preserve your streak and learn how to get better at Wordle, which means making smart choices and understanding the tactics that can take you from a "Winning in Five" to a "Solved in Tree" kind of Wordle player.
The guide below includes how I make my guesses and images of my work. When I make a mistake, you'll see it. Maybe it'll help you avoid some of your own.
Let's Wordle together.
Spoiler Alert: If you do not want to know today’s Wordle answer, STOP READING IMMEDIATELY.
All bets are off
Yesterday's Wordle ( Wordle #256 ) was nasty. No, I mean the answer was "NASTY," but the process of solving it was relatively straightforward. I didn't have any big, "What have I done?" moments.
It would be nice to get today's game in three, though. To do so, I may have to abandon the strategy of guessing a completely new word (all new letters) in the second round. That will require me making a much, much better first guess.
So just how deep am I into this Weekday Wordle Diary? I woke up thinking of five-letter words. They just appeared in m mind, unbidden. Before long, I'll be speaking in nothing but five-letter words.
Dreaming of the right words
Your biggest leap will always be that first word. I can choose any five-letter word but, generally, dismiss anything with double letters, as per our guide on how to win at Wordle .
There are two goals: Get as many correct letters in the right spots as possible and miraculously guess the word on the first try. Thus far, I've never accomplished the latter.
As I mentioned above, I had a few start words in mind when I got out of bed: "ORGAN," "DIRTY," and "FLICK." They almost all lean heavily on the consonant side, which is never my preference, but at least there are no repeating letters.
I settle on "ORGAN" for the "O" and "A" possibilities.
Hat trick
Maybe I should sleep on Wordle more often. Three letters on the first guess is a pretty good result, and one of them is even in the right place.
With just two letters left, you might think I was in a prime position to guess Wordle in two. Maybe. It's enough material that I wonder if I can make an educated guess here and not resort to a letter collection/letter dismissal guess.
As I like to remind you, I couldn't even consider trying a word with all new letters if I were playing in Wordle's Hard Mode . This time, though, I want to see if I can cook up the right word on try two.
Making choices
While I'd like to believe that "O" and "R" automatically move from the first to spots to the second two, nestling up against that "I found my home" "N," but I know that's probably not right. My solution could start with the consonant "R" or the vowel "O" could move to the second slot.
These are good letter options, though. How many five-letter words have "O," "R," and "N" in them?
In my head, I start word-wheeling through "RO"_ _"N" combinations. Rather quickly, I land on "ROBIN."
I can't recall if Worlde has ever had an animal answer. Is the name of a bird type the kind of word Wordle would accept, like "CHAIR?" Maybe, maybe not, but it is a word that will both eliminate two more letters and give me a better clue about where "R" and "O" belong.
A flightless bird
That did not go well. Zero new letters. At least I know the location of the "O" and have eliminated one more sport for the wandering "R." Still, that was a tough blow, as I don't think I made much progress.
Maybe I went too fast on that guess. I have three letters and a lot of thinking to do. Here's what I don't know: The first letter of the word. What I do know is that its selection is driven by the O. That vowel needs a strong consonant in front of it.
When I think of words, it's always nice to realize that most English word pronunciations (but not all - looking at you, silent vowels) make sense and will be something you can easily say in a normal conversation.
A guess that goes nowhere
I find myself back at "T." A lot of words start with "T," pairing it with the "O" makes sense. I quickly type in "TOKEN" and like how it looks. "Has that word been used before?"
Maybe it has, but guess what? It doesn't have an "R" in it. I'm more tired than I think.
"TORUN" is a word meaning grandchild, granddaughter, grandson, but that's just the kind of obscure word The New York Times scrubbed from Wordle when they bought it. Still, I am much further from a solution than I thought and may need to use it to get the answer in four.
Turns out even Wordle doesn't recognize it as a word. The whole board shakes to indicate the rejection. I still have a chance at three.
Stuck at three
I am convinced that a hard consonant sits in the middle of this word. It's driving all my guesses. Also realizing that a vowel must come before the "N" at the end. With only a handful of vowels left, I'm struggling to figure this one out in three. But I refuse to give up.
[Time passes]
I shaved, took a shower, and returned to this problem-child word. I think it's time to try a different word with all new letters. I need a spark and doing a billion letter combos in my head and those I put in Wordle but do not commit to with an "Enter" is not working. It seems the "R" in space 3 or 4 is what's really throwing me.
Feeling slightly defeated, I go with "SERUM." It has the benefit of new letters, but also the answer to exactly where "R" belongs. Bye, guess number 3.
All the letters
This worked out better than I thought. Not only do I now know the "R" must be in the fourth spot, but I collected the final two letters, "U" and "M."
Because I know where "O," "R," and "N" must be, the answer is obvious: "MOURN."
Buried this one
Yes, I'm a little sad I couldn't solve this in three tries, but nothing I had lit up my brain. Had I not tried a new word combo, but with that key "R" letter, " I might've wasted a guess on a completely wrong answer that included the letters I had, but with the wrong letter companions.
I won't "MOURN" the end of this round.
See you tomorrow.
Sony is shipping ‘console prototypes’ overseas - is this the PS5 Pro?
A collection of recent international shipment records has sparked speculation over the development of the PS5 Pro .
As spotted by TweakTown , import records show Sony Interactive Entertainment (the branch of Sony that handles PlayStation) has shipped thousands of boxes of development kits to the US over the past few months.
Most shipments have originated in Japan and Korea. Other listings show Sony exported a shipment labeled “video game console [sic] (prototype)” from the UK to the US last November.
The mention of console prototypes has many fans excited that these shipments contain early models of Sony’s next hardware platform. That would, presumably, be the PS5 Pro or PS5 Slim , which Sony is expected to release sometime in the current console generation.
TweakTown also notes that the shipment of prototype consoles is marked with an HS code of 981700 , which is sometimes used in global export systems to designate shipments containing parts for video game-related products.
Analysis: is this the first sign of the PS5 Pro?
It’s tempting to assume the dev kits and prototype consoles are early models of upcoming PlayStation hardware. With the PS5 having launched well over a year ago, it’s likely Sony is turning its attention to the next phase of its flagship console. The contents of the shipments could also relate to the upcoming PSVR 2 , Sony’s next generation of VR headset.
But speculation is doing a lot of the legwork here, and we’d recommend lowering your expectations until more information emerges through official channels. It’s unclear why Sony would ship PS5 or PSVR 2 dev kits from Japan, Korea, or the UK to the US. Any prototype models would more than likely be manufactured in China before being shipped across the world.
More significantly, there’s little to suggest these shipments contain complete prototype models. It’s possible the hundreds of shipping cartons that are mentioned within the records are filled with individual pieces of PlayStation testing kits, rather than completed designs. There’s also little to suggest the dev kits are of upcoming PlayStation hardware, rather than older kits still floating around since the PS5’s launch in 2020.
There’s a strong chance Sony will release a PS5 Slim or PS5 Pro down the line, with its decision to release two mid-generation console upgrades for the PS4 has proved successful. But it’s probably too optimistic to think these shipment records give us an indication of their state of development.
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The five best things we’ve swallowed in Kirby and the Forgotten Land
Kirby and the Forgotten Land may be the first fully 3D Kirby game, it may introduce us to a whole new post-apocalyptic world to explore, but the best thing about it is its downright adorable mouthful mode.
Kirby’s newest ability takes his passion for excessive inhalation to new extremes in Forgotten Land . Tired of swallowing sentient enemies to absorb their powers, he’s turned his insatiable maw on the inanimate objects of the world around him, wrapping his mouth around cars, vending machines, and other everyday items for special abilities. Once in his jaws, you take control of the objects’ mechanisms, letting you speed around the map on four wheels or shoot soda cans from a vending flap.
Watching Kirby stretch his entire body around the chassis of a car, with his stubby legs poking out the back, is perfect meme material, and one of the best parts of Forgotten Land. During our time playing through the game’s first world - Natural Plains - mouthful mode has been the highlight. In admiration of Kirby’s relentless desire to consume things, here are five of our favorite things to swallow in Forgotten Land.
Staircase Kirby
People thought they’d seen it all when Car Kirby revved onto screen in February’s Nintendo Direct , but that was only the beginning. In Kirby and the Forgotten Land, it’s possible to consume an entire staircase. In fact, it’s highly encouraged. During one level, an entire puzzle section centers on waddling around with the staircase in your mouth, using the added height to reach new areas and hidden switches.
Give credit where credit’s due. When it comes to inhaling that staircase, Kirby fully commits. It looks like he’s vacuum-packed the staircase within his gullet. He could’ve swallowed half the staircase to move about, but not this guy. You’ve got to respect that dedication.
Water Tank Kirby
What’s cuter than a pink round blob? An even bigger pink round blob whose puppy dog eyes have been squished together. Inhaling one of the water tanks you find dotted around Forgotten Land doesn’t give Kirby any new powers. Instead, you pop the top off them, like opening a beer bottle with your teeth. Inside you’ll find Waddle Dees or collectible figurines.
Even this static mouthful mode transformation had us chuckling. What better way to earn a reward than literally ripping the roof off its container with your incredibly malleable mouth?
Cone Kirby
Nintendo showed off this transformation during the mouthful mode's reveal trailer. Still, it’s a lot more impressive to see in-game. Watching Kirby shove a traffic cone in his mouth is hilarious, but even more adorable is watching him shuffle about with an object twice the size of his entire body poking directly through the roof of his mouth.
The traffic cone pops up frequently across Forgotten Land’s first world. Transform into mouthful mode, and you’ll be able to jump, flip, and slam to the ground with its pointy end. You can use the attack to smash open secret areas and objects for extra Waddle Dees or collectibles. It’s also rather fun squashing enemies into the dirt like some violent traffic enforcer.
Storage Locker Kirby
Traveling through the maze of shops and escalators in an abandoned mall, you’ll occasionally encounter lockers blocking your path or tucked away in the environment. Kirby approaches the lockers the same way he approaches all of his problems - sucking them into his mouth like a vacuum.
Like the water tanks, Lockers are a static mouthful mode transformation. You can’t move about while they’re in your mouth, and you won’t gain any new abilities. Instead, you’ll have to wiggle the analog stick to rip the lockers from the walls. Their real power is giving you the joy of seeing a flattened, monolithic Kirby.
Ranger Kirby
While the ranger ability isn’t technically a mouthful mode, which only covers inanimate objects, Kirby hasn’t stopped swallowing living beings in Forgotten Land. Nintendo’s even introduced a couple of new copy abilities into the mix. If you guzzle down one of the stout, bearded dogs shooting at you, you’ll earn a blunderbuss for your trouble.
Guns aren’t typical Kirby fare, but Forgotten Land just about makes it work. The weapon is more like a miniature cannon than a rifle, launching massive lead balls that can be precisely aimed using a reticle or fired straight from the hip. The weapon isn’t very effective, but the puzzle segments requiring the Ranger ability were more engaging. You’ll often be on the lookout for shootable targets to reveal hidden passageways, having to carefully time your shots between obstacles while dodging incoming attacks.
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