Yesterday was Wordle Wednesday and I gave you this little brain-teaser to solve before solving the daily Wordle. Below, I’ll provide the answer.
Magic Rope Brain-Teaser:
An ancient alchemist once sought to test his most promising apprentice. One evening, he set two strange ropes upon the table in his dimly lit workshop.
“These ropes,” the alchemist explained, “are enchanted. If you light either one on fire from either end, it will burn away completely in exactly one hour. But beware . . .” he whispered ominously, holding one of the ropes up to show how it grew thick then thin, then thick again. “They do not burn evenly.”
The alchemist leaned closer, lowering his voice. “Now here is my challenge to you: With only these two ropes and a flame, show me how you might measure exactly forty-five minutes.”
He stepped back, arms folded, awaiting the apprentice’s solution.
Answer:
The apprentice studied the lumpy ropes, then struck flint to steel.
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First, he lit Rope A at both ends and Rope B at one end—all at the same moment. The alchemist raised an eyebrow but said nothing.
Minutes dragged by. Rope A, burning from both ends, devoured itself at an unpredictable pace—but because fire ate it from both sides, the apprentice knew one thing for certain: when Rope A finished, exactly 30 minutes had passed.
The last ember of Rope A winked out. “Half an hour,” the apprentice murmured, and with that he lit the other end of Rope B.
Now Rope B was burning from both ends. Whatever remained of Rope B—however oddly shaped—would be consumed in half the time it would take if it were burning from one end. Since Rope B had already been burning for 30 minutes, burning it from both ends would finish it in 15 minutes.
When Rope B finally vanished to ash, the apprentice looked up.
“Thirty minutes, then fifteen,” he said, dusting his hands. “Exactly forty-five minutes.”
The alchemist smiled. “Well done.”
And that, dear readers, is the answer. Let’s solve this Wordle!
Looking for Wednesday’s Wordle? Check out our guide right here.
How To Play Wordle
Wordle is a daily word puzzle game where your goal is to guess a hidden five-letter word in six tries or fewer. After each guess, the game gives feedback to help you get closer to the answer:
- Green: The letter is in the word and in the correct spot.
- Yellow: The letter is in the word, but in the wrong spot.
- Gray: The letter is not in the word at all.
Use these clues to narrow down your guesses. Every day brings a new word, and everyone around the world is trying to solve the same puzzle. Some Wordlers also play Competitive Wordle against friends, family, the Wordle Bot or even against me, your humble narrator. See rules for Competitive Wordle toward the end of this post.
Today’s Wordle Hints And Answer
Wordle Bot’s Starting Word: SLATE
My Starting Word Today: MOUSE (137 words remaining)
The Hint: Cleave.
The Clue: This Wordle has more consonants than vowels.
Okay, spoilers below! The answer is coming!
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The Answer:
Wordle Analysis
Every day I check Wordle Bot to help analyze my guessing game. You can check your Wordle score with Wordle Bot right here.
No clue where MOUSE came from for my opening guess, but it seemed like a good enough choice. Unfortunately, 137 words remained. STAIN, however, did the trick, slashing that number down to just one: SPLIT for the win! If you haven’t played it yet, one of my favorite video games of the year is Split Fiction, a tremendously fun and imaginative co-op game that everyone who loves gaming should play.
Competitive Wordle Score
I get 1 point for guessing in three and -1 for losing to the Bot, who miraculously got this one in just two. The Bot gets 2 points for guessing in two and 1 for beating me. We remain neck-and-neck in August:
Erik: 16 points
Wordle Bot: 17 points
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
Split comes from Middle Dutch splitten and Middle Low German splitten, from Proto-Germanic splītaną “to cleave, break apart.” It entered English in the late 1500s meaning “to divide,” and later gained the slang sense “to leave” in the 18th–20th centuries.
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