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Every Friday, I’ll share the definition and origin of the most obscure HiveWord from the previous seven days.
I am doing this analysis because I noticed that some people get frustrated when the solutions are words they have never heard of.
I will also do an analysis of the hardest word.
If you are new to HiveWord or would like some hints and tips for solving this puzzle, you can find more information at the end of this post.
The table below lists the previous seven days' HiveWords along with their difficulty, solve rate, average attempts and score.
| Day | Word | Difficulty | Solved | Attempts | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fri | DOZEN | Hard | 94.7% | 4.50 | 41 |
| Sat | APPLE | Moderate | 100% | 3.95 | 56 |
| Sun | BLUFF | Moderate | 100% | 4.10 | 25 |
| Mon | SHRUB | Moderate | 100% | 3.90 | 51 |
| Tue | GILTS | Hard | 47.4% | 5.00 | 65 |
| Wed | THONG | Moderate | 94.7% | 3.78 | 42 |
| Thu | WAFTS | Hard | 90% | 5.22 | 53 |
HiveWord provides the puzzle's difficulty and other measures except for the score.
The score is a measure of how often the word's letters appear in the puzzle's words over time.
I calculated the scores using a simple Python script, which you can download from the Programs section of Learning Pages Digital Products.
A low score doesn't necessarily mean that the word is obscure. DOZEN has a low score, but its meaning is well known.
Even the solve rate isn't the best indicator of obscurity because some puzzles can be solved using logic.
I use high-score words when I start solving the puzzle to eliminate as many letters as possible.
The best guide to a word's obscurity is whether you have to look up its meaning in the dictionary.
The hardest word
These are my last four attempts at Tuesday's word:
After my first three attempts, this became a game of chance because nine five-letter words end in ILTS:
GILTS HILTS JILTS KILTS LILTS MILTS SILTS TILTS WILTS
I had eliminated three of these words before my last attempt, leaving me with only a 17% chance of solving the puzzle. The answer was GILTS, which I failed to guess. Only 47.4% of players found this word, which makes it the hardest of the week.
The most obscure word
Both @bartman67 and @jongolson thought this week's most obscure word was:
WAFTS
Meaning
Wafts is the third-person singular of the verb 'to waft', which means 'to move gently through the air':
'The smell of freshly baked bread wafts through the house.'
Origin The original meaning of waft was connected with shipping. It appeared in English in the early 16th century and meant escorting or conveying a ship.
It was derived from wafter, an obsolete noun. Wafter came from the Dutch or German wachter, meaning 'watchman' or 'guard', from wachten, 'to watch or guard'.
Python script updates
With the latest update, you can enter the whole word rather than one letter at a time, and I've added more letter-frequency data.
About HiveWord
How to play
HiveWord is a word puzzle similar to the New York Times' Wordle where you have six attempts to guess the day's five-letter word.
- Enter a valid five-letter word. Letters can be reused.
- Click 'Enter'.
HiveWord then provides feedback on your attempt by changing the tiles' colour.
In this example: T and S are part of the solution and are in the correct position; L is one of the solution's letters but isn't in the right position; P and O aren't part of the solution.
You can also have HiveWord reveal a vowel and consonant if you need additional clues.
Unlike Wordle, which resets at midnight local time, HiveWord resets at 00:00 UTC.
Hints and tips
Many experts recommend that you start with a word that eliminates or verifies as many letters as possible.
The New York Times recommends STARE, but you might want to use a word ending in S to check whether the word is plural or a third-person singular verb (e.g. she walks, he walks). Note that a word can still be plural even if it doesn't end in S.
It's also useful to have a backup word in case none of the letters in your first attempt are part of the solution.
Below is a list of HiveWord's current top ten letters to help you create your starter word:
- S
- E
- T
- R
- I
- L
- O
- P
- A
- N
I wouldn't recommend using duplicate letters in your first or second attempts, as it can hinder the elimination process.
If you get stuck, take a break and let your subconscious solve the puzzle.
Don't assume that a word is obscure if it has been rated 'Hard' or 'Difficult'. I've made this mistake several times.
If you are using a computer when you are solving Hive Word, use the cursor to select the letters. If you use the keyboard, it's very easy to miss the previous feedback.
Please note that these hints and tips are based on my own limited experience and may not work for all solutions.
