wordle

name

wordle

description

Python Wordle game helper and developer skill. Use when the user wants to play Wordle, understand how the game works, extend or modify the code, debug issues, or run the game in a Jupyter Notebook environment. Covers the full wordle.py implementation: random word selection, guess validation, letter-matching logic (exact/exists/absent), pandas DataFrame display with color formatting, and the 6-attempt game loop. Trigger on: wordle, play wordle, wordle game, word guessing game, wordle python, wordle notebook.

Wordle Game Skill

Python implementation of the Wordle word-guessing game, designed to run in a Jupyter Notebook.

Repository Layout

wordle.py        — Full game implementation (import this)
Wordle.ipynb     — Jupyter Notebook to play interactively
README.md        — Setup and gameplay instructions

How to Play

1. Open Wordle.ipynb in Jupyter Notebook (required for colored DataFrame display)
2. Run from wordle import * then call play_wordle()
3. The game picks a random 5-letter English noun/verb/adjective
4. You have 6 attempts to guess the word
5. After each guess, letters are color-coded:
   • GREEN (uppercase, length 1) — correct letter, correct position
   • ORANGE (length 2, letter + space) — correct letter, wrong position
   • black / lowercase — letter not in the word

Key Functions

Function	Description
play_wordle()	Main entry point — runs a full game loop
pick_random_word()	Picks a random 5-letter word via RandomWords API
ask_user_input()	Prompts user, validates 5-letter string input
mark_letters(guess_idx)	Applies YES/EX/None match tags to each letter
build_df(attempt, guess_arr)	Builds a single-row pandas DataFrame for the guess grid
color_positive(val)	Pandas styler function — maps letter format to color

Matching Logic

1. Exact match (YES) — letter and position both match the target word
2. Exists (EX) — letter is in the word but at a different position; only counted up to the frequency of that letter in the target word
3. Absent — letter is not in the remaining unmatched letters of the target

Dependencies

random_word     — random word API
numpy           — array operations for letter comparison
pandas          — guess grid display
matplotlib      — (imported, available for extensions)
IPython.display — display() for styled DataFrames in Jupyter

Install with:

pip install random_word numpy pandas matplotlib ipython

Common Tasks

Run a game

from wordle import *
play_wordle()

Test the matching logic manually

from wordle import *
import numpy as np

true_word = "CRANE"
guess_word = "CARES"
true_arr = np.array(list(true_word))
guess_arr = np.array(list(guess_word))
# step through mark_letters to inspect match output

Extend with a custom word list

Replace pick_random_word() with a function that draws from your own list:

import random
MY_WORDS = ["FLAME", "CRISP", "BLUNT", "GLOOM", "VIVID"]
def pick_random_word():
    return random.choice(MY_WORDS)

Known Constraints

• Must run in Jupyter Notebook for color output — terminal mode shows guesses but without color
• RandomWords API requires an internet connection and occasionally returns None; the pick_random_word() function retries until a valid word is returned
• Words are uppercased internally; user input is case-insensitive