The short rule for double letters in Wordle-style games
Count the copies in the answer. A matching copy in the exact position becomes green and is reserved first. Each remaining answer copy can support one yellow tile elsewhere. Once every copy has been used, later copies in the guess are gray.
Tested example: APPLE against PUPPY
APPLE contains two Ps. PUPPY contains three. Scoring exact positions first makes the third letter green. The first P can use the one remaining answer copy and becomes yellow. The fourth P has no unused copy left, so it becomes gray.
| Position | Guess | Color | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | P | Yellow | One unused P remains elsewhere |
| 2 | U | Gray | U is absent from APPLE |
| 3 | P | Green | Exact position; this copy is reserved first |
| 4 | P | Gray | Both answer copies are already consumed |
| 5 | Y | Gray | Y is absent from APPLE |
Why scoring must happen in two passes
If yellow tiles were assigned before greens, an early misplaced copy could consume a letter needed for a later exact match. The two-pass method avoids that error:
- Count every letter in the answer.
- Mark exact-position matches green and subtract those copies.
- Read unresolved guess positions from left to right.
- Mark a letter yellow only if an unused answer copy remains; otherwise mark it gray.
This is the calculation used by Daily, Archive, Unlimited, Custom, and the solver on this site. The automated core test asserts that APPLE/PUPPY returns yellow–gray–green–gray–gray.
What a gray duplicate does—and does not—tell you
A gray tile can mean the letter is absent, but a gray repeated copy can instead mean the guess exceeded the answer's count. In the example, gray U and Y are absent. The gray P is different: P is present, but two earlier tiles already account for both copies.
That distinction matters in reverse Wordle. Do not ban a letter merely because one copy is gray. First check whether another copy of the same letter is green or yellow, then keep exactly the number of positive copies supported by the clue.
Common duplicate-letter mistakes
- Counting colors but ignoring positions: the full five-tile order must match.
- Giving every repeated copy a yellow: the answer has a limited inventory.
- Processing from left to right only: greens must be reserved before yellows.
- Treating every gray as total absence: check positive copies of the same letter first.
Apply the rule while solving
Begin with the basic Wordle color meanings, then test a difficult row in the Reverse Wordle Solver. For a complete routine, use the tested reverse Wordle strategy before playing today's Daily puzzle or creating a Custom Unwordle.
Method and scope
The examples on this page were checked with the same open browser scoring function used by the games. They describe this site's Wordle-style implementation and are not a claim about another publisher's private code or word-selection process. Unwordle.online is independent and is not affiliated with the New York Times.
See third-party notices for dictionary licensing, or use Contact to report a reproducible scoring error.