Every Friday, I’ll be sharing 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 analyse 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 | FLAWS | Hard | 75.0% | 5.00 | 59 |
| Sat | PERKS | Moderate | 85.7% | 4.00 | 76 |
| Sun | BEEFS | Hard | 88.9% | 4.75 | 74 |
| Mon | GLARE | Moderate | 95.7% | 4.23 | 64 |
| Tue | GIANT | Moderate | 100% | 4.14 | 58 |
| Wed | TEEMS | Moderate | 81.0% | 4.06 | 89 |
| Thu | WINES | Difficult | 61.9% | 5.23 | 70 |
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. FLAWS 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
This week's hardest word was WINES, not because it's obscure, but because so many words share four of its letters.
The following details my failed attempt at guessing this word:
By my third attempt, I had three letters in the correct position.
I had eliminated five words before my final attempt, which still left eight words:
BINES
HINES
NINES
PINES
SINES
VINES
WINES
ZINES
This meant I only had a 12.5% chance of solving the puzzle!
The most obscure word
This week's most obscure word was a choice between BEEFS and TEEMS.
Although BEEF is not an obscure word, BEEFS is not a plural. It is a verb which means to complain.
TEEMS means to empty or flow copiously. It derives from an Old Norse word.
Observations
HiveWord accepted FENIS as a valid entry. It's a word I had never come across before, and I had no idea of its meaning.
It isn't listed in any of my dictionaries, so I had to resort to ChatGPT, which also struggled to define it.
Possibilities are:
- A form of the Latin Fenus meaning interest on money/usuary.
- Plural of feni, an alcoholic spirit from Goa, India.
There is no way that FENIS would be a Hive Word solution, but it could be used to eliminate some letters.
Python script updates
The latest update lists the current top ten letters, 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 a 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.
Some valid words are not on the list of solution words.
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 attempt, 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.
Be careful with the words you enter because HiveWord accepts some very obscure words which are never the solution.
Please note that these hints and tips are based on my own limited experience and may not work for all solutions.
Acknowledgements
Cover image generated by ChatGPT.
Sources
HiveWord
Chambers English Dictionary
