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What “best” means
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Fewest guesses: first maximizes the chance of solving within six, then minimizes average guesses among those wins. Most info: highest entropy on the first guess. Fewest left: smallest average shortlist after the first guess.
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Choose a worked example after solving, or open just the part you need. These explanations are calculated from this recorded puzzle.
Compare the letters after solving
For CIVIL, the pattern C_V__ fixes positions 1 and 3. It matches 22 of 14757 words in our independent five-letter dictionary: CAVAS, CAVED, CAVEL, CAVER, CAVES, CAVIE, CAVIL, CAVUS ….
3 dictionary words differ at exactly one position: CAVIL, CIVIC, CIVIE. Check that differing position before treating a familiar spelling as the solution.
This comparison explains spelling constraints. These are dictionary matches, not the publisher's accepted guesses or historical answer pool.
Why these alphabetical bounds work
CIVIL comes after CIVIE: the first different letter is at position 5, where CIVIL has L and CIVIE has E. Earlier positions match.
CIVIL comes before CIVVY: the first different letter is at position 4, where CIVIL has I and CIVVY has V. Earlier positions match.
These neighbours come from our independent dictionary. They illustrate alphabetical comparison, not an official distance score or a recorded play session.
Continue with your own clues
Alphabetical distance counts words in a dictionary, rather than the number of letters between guesses. Your game's dictionary can differ from this helper's.