Wordle で最後の1文字を当てにくい単語

はじめに

Wordle は， Josh Wardle が 2021 年に発表したパズルゲームです [1]． このゲームの目的は，隠された5文字の英単語を正しく当てることです． プレイヤーは6回まで解答できます． ただし，"ABCDE" など辞書に載っていない単語を入力することはできません． 解答後にヒントが与えられます． 5文字のうち，正しい位置で使われている文字は緑色で，位置は正しくないが正解に含まれている文字は黄色で，正解に含まれていない文字は灰色で表示されます*1． 以下に "APPLE" と入力した場合の例を示します． 5文字目が緑色，2文字目が黄色，それ以外が灰色なので，次のことが分かります．

• 正解の単語の5文字目は "E" である．
• 正解の単語は，1文字目か4文字目のどちらか一方に "P" を含む．
• 正解の単語は，"A" や "L" を含まない．

このゲームで，最初に "SOUND" と入力し，4ヶ所が緑になったケースを考えます． 正解の単語は "BOUND" でしょうか？　"FOUND" でしょうか？　 最後の1文字を当てるのは簡単ではありません． 特にハードモードでは，提示されたヒントを全て使わなければならないという制約があるため，運に頼るほかありません． こういったケースを避けるためには，残りの1文字を絞りにくい単語を知っておく必要があります．

そこでこの記事では，上の "SOUND" のような，入力に注意を要する単語を集めました．

単語リスト

注意：以下のリストは Wordle 内部の辞書から作ったものではないため，不完全です（後述）．

• (bar*s) barbs, bards, bares, barfs, barks, barms, barns
• (ba*es) babes, bakes, bales, banes, bares, bases, bates
• (bea*s) beads, beaks, beams, beans, bears, beats, beaus
• (bra*s) brads, braes, brags, brans, brass, brats, brays
• (ca*ed) caged, caked, caned, caped, cared, cased, caved, cawed
• (ca*es) cafes, cages, cakes, canes, capes, cares, cases, caves
• (cla*s) clads, clams, clans, claps, class, claws, clays
• (co*ed) coded, coked, coned, cooed, coped, cored, cowed, coxed
• (co*er) coder, comer, coper, corer, cover, cower, coyer
• (co*es) codes, cokes, comes, cones, copes, cores, cotes, coves, coxes
• (do*es) doges, doles, domes, dopes, doses, dotes, doves, dozes
• (fa*ed) faced, faded, faked, famed, fared, fated, faxed, fazed
• (fa*es) faces, fades, fakes, fames, fares, fates, faxes, fazes
• (fla*s) flabs, flags, flaks, flams, flaps, flats, flaws, flays
• (ga*es) gages, gales, games, gapes, gases, gates, gazes
• (goo*y) goody, gooey, goofy, gooky, goony, goopy, goosy
• (ha*es) hades, hales, hames, hares, hates, haves, hazes
• (la*er) lacer, lager, laker, lamer, laser, later, laver, laxer, layer
• (la*es) laces, lades, lakes, lames, lanes, lases, laves, lazes
• (lo*es) lobes, lodes, loges, lopes, lores, loses, loves, loxes
• (ma*es) maces, makes, males, manes, mares, mates, mazes
• (min*s) minas, minds, mines, minis, minks, mints, minus
• (mi*es) mikes, miles, mimes, mines, mires, mites, mixes
• (pa*ed) paced, paged, paled, paned, pared, paved, pawed, payed
• (pa*er) pacer, pager, paler, paper, parer, pater, paver, pawer, payer
• (pa*es) paces, pages, pales, panes, pares, pates, paves
• (po*es) pokes, poles, pones, popes, pores, poses, poxes
• (ra*ed) raced, raged, raked, raped, rated, raved, rayed, razed
• (ra*er) racer, raker, raper, rarer, rater, raver, rawer, razer
• (ra*es) races, rages, rakes, rapes, rates, raves, razes
• (ri*er) ricer, rider, rifer, rimer, riper, riser, river
• (ri*es) rices, rides, riles, rimes, rises, rites, rives
• (sa*er) saber, safer, sager, saner, saver, sawer, sayer
• (sa*es) safes, sages, sakes, sales, sates, saves, saxes
• (sha*e) shade, shake, shale, shame, shape, share, shave
• (sla*s) slabs, slags, slams, slaps, slats, slaws, slays
• (wa*ed) waded, waged, waked, waled, waned, waved, waxed
• (wa*er) wader, wafer, wager, waker, water, waver, waxer
• (wa*es) wades, wages, wakes, wales, wanes, wares, waves, waxes
• (*acks) backs, hacks, jacks, lacks, packs, racks, sacks, tacks
• (*ails) bails, fails, hails, jails, mails, nails, pails, rails, sails, tails, vails, wails
• (*aker) baker, faker, laker, maker, raker, taker, waker
• (*akes) bakes, cakes, fakes, jakes, lakes, makes, rakes, sakes, takes, wakes
• (*ales) bales, dales, gales, hales, kales, males, pales, sales, tales, vales, wales
• (*alls) balls, calls, falls, galls, halls, malls, palls, walls
• (*ames) dames, fames, games, hames, lames, names, tames
• (*anes) banes, canes, janes, lanes, manes, panes, vanes, wanes
• (*ards) bards, cards, lards, nards, pards, wards, yards
• (*ared) bared, cared, dared, eared, fared, oared, pared, tared
• (*ares) bares, cares, dares, fares, hares, mares, nares, pares, tares, wares
• (*arts) carts, darts, farts, harts, marts, parts, tarts, warts
• (*ases) bases, cases, eases, gases, lases, oases, vases
• (*atch) batch, catch, hatch, latch, match, natch, patch, watch
• (*ated) bated, dated, fated, gated, hated, mated, rated, sated
• (*ater) cater, dater, eater, hater, later, mater, pater, rater, tater, water
• (*ates) bates, dates, fates, gates, hates, mates, nates, pates, rates, sates
• (*atty) batty, catty, fatty, natty, patty, ratty, tatty
• (*aves) caves, eaves, haves, laves, naves, paves, raves, saves, waves
• (*azed) dazed, fazed, gazed, hazed, lazed, mazed, razed
• (*azes) dazes, fazes, gazes, hazes, lazes, mazes, razes
• (*eals) deals, heals, meals, peals, reals, seals, teals, veals, weals, zeals
• (*ears) bears, dears, fears, gears, hears, nears, pears, rears, sears, tears, wears, years
• (*eats) beats, feats, heats, meats, peats, seats, teats
• (*eeds) deeds, feeds, heeds, needs, reeds, seeds, weeds
• (*eeps) beeps, deeps, jeeps, keeps, peeps, seeps, veeps, weeps
• (*ells) bells, cells, dells, fells, hells, jells, sells, tells, wells, yells
• (*ends) bends, fends, lends, mends, pends, rends, sends, tends, vends, wends
• (*ents) bents, cents, dents, gents, rents, tents, vents
• (*ests) bests, jests, nests, pests, rests, tests, vests, wests, zests
• (*icks) dicks, hicks, kicks, licks, micks, nicks, picks, sicks, ticks, wicks
• (*ider) aider, bider, cider, eider, hider, rider, wider
• (*ight) bight, eight, fight, light, might, night, right, sight, tight
• (*ikes) bikes, dikes, hikes, kikes, likes, mikes, pikes, tikes, yikes
• (*iled) ailed, filed, oiled, piled, riled, tiled, wiled
• (*iles) biles, files, miles, piles, riles, tiles, wiles
• (*ills) bills, cills, dills, fills, gills, hills, kills, mills, pills, rills, sills, tills, wills
• (*ilts) gilts, hilts, jilts, kilts, lilts, silts, tilts, wilts
• (*inds) binds, finds, hinds, kinds, minds, rinds, winds
• (*ined) dined, fined, lined, mined, pined, vined, wined
• (*ines) dines, fines, lines, mines, nines, pines, sines, tines, vines, wines
• (*ings) dings, jings, kings, lings, pings, rings, sings, tings, wings, zings
• (*inks) dinks, finks, jinks, kinks, links, minks, oinks, pinks, rinks, sinks, winks
• (*ired) aired, fired, hired, mired, sired, tired, wired
• (*ires) fires, hires, mires, sires, tires, vires, wires
• (*ites) bites, cites, kites, lites, mites, rites, sites
• (*ives) dives, fives, gives, hives, jives, lives, rives, wives
• (*ocks) bocks, cocks, docks, hocks, jocks, locks, mocks, pocks, rocks, socks
• (*olls) bolls, dolls, lolls, molls, polls, rolls, tolls
• (*olly) dolly, folly, golly, holly, jolly, lolly, molly, polly
• (*ones) bones, cones, hones, nones, pones, tones, zones
• (*ooks) books, cooks, gooks, hooks, kooks, looks, nooks, rooks, zooks
• (*ooky) booky, cooky, gooky, hooky, kooky, looky, nooky, rooky
• (*oons) boons, coons, goons, loons, moons, noons, toons
• (*oots) boots, coots, foots, hoots, loots, moots, roots, soots, toots
• (*oped) coped, doped, hoped, loped, moped, roped, toped
• (*oper) coper, doper, hoper, loper, moper, roper, toper
• (*opes) copes, dopes, hopes, lopes, mopes, popes, ropes, topes
• (*ores) bores, cores, fores, gores, lores, mores, pores, sores, yores
• (*ound) bound, found, hound, mound, pound, round, sound, wound
• (*ouse) douse, house, louse, mouse, rouse, souse, youse
• (*owed) bowed, cowed, lowed, mowed, rowed, sowed, towed, vowed, wowed
• (*ower) bower, cower, dower, lower, mower, power, rower, sower, tower, vower
• (*rier) brier, crier, drier, frier, prier, trier, wrier
• (*ucks) bucks, ducks, fucks, lucks, mucks, pucks, sucks, tucks
• (*uffs) buffs, cuffs, duffs, huffs, muffs, puffs, ruffs
• (*ulls) bulls, culls, dulls, fulls, gulls, hulls, lulls, mulls, nulls, pulls
• (*umps) bumps, dumps, humps, jumps, lumps, mumps, pumps, rumps, sumps
• (*unks) bunks, dunks, funks, gunks, hunks, junks, punks
• (*unny) bunny, funny, gunny, punny, runny, sunny, tunny
• (*usts) busts, dusts, gusts, lusts, musts, ousts, rusts
• (*usty) busty, dusty, fusty, gusty, lusty, musty, rusty

単語リストの作成

このリストは，Donald Knuth が公開している sgb-words.txt, the 5757 five-letter words of English をもとに作成しました． 5×26^4=2284880 通りのパターンの中から，7語以上の単語にマッチするものを抽出し，111 個のパターン，791 語（延べ 892 語）の単語を得ました． リストの作成に使ったプログラムは github.com/1995hnagamin/sys-sandbox にあります．

本来であれば Wordle がゲーム内部にもっている辞書を使うべきですが， その辞書を作成しようとしてネタバレを食らった方がいるようなのでやめました [2]． 本当の Wordle の内部辞書には 2500 語程度の単語が収録されているようです [1]．

各パターンにマッチする単語の数の分布を以下の表に示します． 1語以上の単語にマッチするパターンは全部で 20859 個でした． "*ILLS" は 13 語にマッチし，これが最大でした．

まとめ

Wordle で最後の1文字を当てにくい単語を列挙しました．

今後の課題として，文字の使用頻度を考慮して難易度を計算することが挙げられます． たとえば "jests", "vests", "wests", "zests" のように，使用頻度の低い文字を候補に含むパターンは， 他のものに比べて当てにくいと考えられます． こういった情報を考慮すれば，運任せの局面を避けるのがもっと簡単になりそうです．

更新履歴

• 2022-01-23: 公開，微修正
• 2023-04-02: Document ID を追加

Permanent ID of this document: 7dbcb93b613046248bf2d7cb80db6721

脚注

参考文献