Looking for Thursday’s Wordle hints, clues and answer? You can find them here:
It’s 2XP Friday for Competitive Wordle players, which means that every point you gain or lose when competing is doubled, for better or worse. You can see the Competitive Wordle rules for scoring below. I play against the Wordle Bot, but you can play against anybody—your spouse, the Bot, me, very intelligent apes.
In any case, it’s basically the weekend and we’re entering the final week of August, which has been a pretty solid month as far as 2024 goes. I’m hoping September will be even better. Let’s do this Wordle!
How To Solve Today’s Wordle
The Hint: A creature used in ancient medicine.
The Clue: This Wordle has a double letter in it.
Okay, spoilers below!
.
.
.
The Answer:
Wordle Analysis
Every day I check Wordle Bot to help analyze my guessing game. You can check your Wordles with Wordle Bot right here.
I’m a little surprised at how poorly STORE did as my opening guess. With just 1 yellow box, I learned later I had 266 remaining solutions. Ouch. CHAIN slashed that down to just 3, but all I knew at the time was I had three yellow boxes and absolutely no clue what the answer was. I tried BELCH to no avail, but at this point there was only one possible solution remaining and I finally came up with it: LEECH for the win!
Competitive Wordle Score
Naturally, I guessed in four which gives me 0 points and I tied the Bot so another 0. 2 x 0 (for 2XP Friday) results in a big fat 0 as well. Zeroes all around . . . .
How To Play Competitive Wordle
- Guessing in 1 is worth 3 points; guessing in 2 is worth 2 points; guessing in 3 is worth 1 point; guessing in 4 is worth 0 points; guessing in 5 is -1 points; guessing in 6 is -2 points and missing the Wordle is -3 points.
- If you beat your opponent you get 1 point. If you tie, you get 0 points. And if you lose to your opponent, you get -1 point. Add it up to get your score. Keep a daily running score or just play for a new score each day.
- Fridays are 2XP, meaning you double your points—positive or negative.
- You can keep a running tally or just play day-by-day. Enjoy!
Today’s Wordle Etymology
The word “leech” has an interesting etymology, originating from Old English. Here’s a breakdown:
- Old English: The word “lǣce” referred to a physician or healer. This usage was common in Old English and persisted for several centuries. The connection to healing comes from the historical practice of using leeches in medicine, particularly for bloodletting.
- Proto-Germanic: “Lǣce” is derived from the Proto-Germanic word “*lēkijaz,” which also meant a healer or physician.
- Old High German: A similar word existed in Old High German, “lāhhi,” which also referred to a physician.
- Use in Medicine: The term “leech” became associated with the bloodsucking creature due to its frequent use in medical treatments for bloodletting. Over time, as the practice became more widespread and the creature’s use in medicine became prominent, the term “leech” transitioned to specifically refer to the bloodsucking worm.
- Modern Usage: Today, “leech” is primarily used to describe the parasitic worm, but it also retains a metaphorical meaning, describing a person who exploits others.
Pair this with yesterday’s BRUTE and we’ve got the makings of a real cast of vagabonds! Maybe tomorrow’s word will be KNAVE.
Be sure to check out my blog for my daily Wordle and Strands guides as well as all my other writing about TV shows, streaming guides, movie reviews, video game coverage and much more. Thanks for stopping by!
Oh, and I’ve started a book-themed Instagram page that’s just getting off the ground if anyone wants to follow me there.
