Talks to Watch

Solving Wordle using information theory

11.8M views · Feb 6, 2022 · 30:38 · 2 HN recommenders · 5 mentions · discussed 2022–2024

3Blue1Brown uses Wordle as an excuse to teach information theory and entropy, building a solver that picks guesses by expected information and incorporating word frequencies.

Why Hacker News points people here: HN recommends it as the go-to explanation of optimal Wordle openers like CRANE and a friendly introduction to information theory, also relevant to Mastermind.

“still worth a watch.”HN comment, 2023

What Hacker News said 5

RecommendsdowakinFeb 2022

“check out recent video from 3Blue1Brown”

Explains optimal Wordle opening guesses like crane via information theory.

Full comment

If you wonder why in the demo author uses `crane` as first guess - check out recent video from 3Blue1Brown this video

in “Play Wordle from Your Terminal” · view on HN
RecommendsbnycumAug 2023

“still worth a watch.”

Information-theory approach to Wordle, with a followup video.

Full comment

Reminds me of the 3Blue1Brown video about Wordle, and then it's followup video. I guess that's kind of a spoiler, but still worth a watch. this video link

Cites itsargstuffApr 2022

Tangential Wordle reference in a rambling comment.

Full comment

Warning: Bit of a 'Hitch hikers guide to the galaxy"/conway game of life yak shave for a reply. Nice start to providing a simple way to visually interact/experiment/manipulate different multiple Neural network concepts by loading/transforming any traditional code (working or not) & reshuffling/tesselating the structual representation of the code to generate a turing tape path via color execution paths. Switching to pi calculus could provide the theory to support coroutine/coprossing/ threading" multiple interacting tape paths/color combinations/path diffs/scaled recusion to perform assembly language instructions. Raster graphics without the yak ( link ) Feed back between tape & "traditional code" as neural network layer(s)! Flexiable code (via tessilations) without changing the actual imported source code! So, complete svg (tape interactions) web page as code source on how to interact with web page, ( link ) what's displayed/played, documentation & usage manual included within code structure! Unicode permits implied piping rich kern font without all the tech fluff. Unicode fails because allows infinate multics and is there for k&r incomplete. But, this approach is way more dimensional/colorful than unicode/tech stuff. ?? can one's code unintentially provide a wordle problem & solution in one package ?? ( this video ) ?? turing complete fourier transforms link toolkit concepts: Neural networks / analog stuff : link perceptrons: link spreadsheets (: link (turing spread

in “Λ-2D: Exploration of Drawing as Programming Language, Ideas from Lambda Calculus” · view on HN
Cites itpstuartDec 2023

“that CRANE is mathematically optimal”

Argues for CRANE as the optimal opener.

Full comment

Interesting that SLATE is the apparent optimum opener. I found a youtube that "showed" that CRANE is mathematically optimal: this video The second guess (if a low hit count) fleshes out the remaining vowels. My average is 4, followed by 3.

in “Seven Things We Learned Analyzing 515M Wordles” · view on HN
Cites itbschneJan 2024

“has a video applying information theory to solving Wordle”

Applies information theory to Wordle, similar to Mastermind.

Full comment

ICYMI, 3blue1brown (Grant Sanderson) has a video applying information theory to solving Wordle, which is conceptually similar to mastermind -- this video

in “How to solve the "Mastermind" guessing game? (2009)” · view on HN