words from wordle 1,856
When the Poem Takes Over
Sometimes when I’m playing Wordle, I’m not really thinking about solving the puzzle.
I’m thinking about making a poem for Worku.
That happened today.
I opened with ADORE, and instead of shifting into puzzle-solving mode, I drifted into poet mode. I started asking myself, What do I adore?
Well, I had the starter C and that lonely R sitting there, waiting for something to carry the thought forward. CURRY sprang immediately to mind because, honestly, I can never have enough curry and even though it was 6am when I started, I was hungry! A good mus a mun is my favorite … even for breakfast 🤣
Then something happened that perfectly captures why I love this game.
I turned my attention back to the puzzle, when a word suddenly popped into my head:
** CHURL **
Now, this is a terrible Wordle guess. As many of the worki know, I will sometimes make the challenge harder by pre-selecting words I must use like hodag which Mark used in his epic ADIEU vile hodag charmer from 16 November 2025:
ADIEU vile hodag
Northwoods FIEND, YIELD the folly
WIELD the mashie, yiiieeee!
Wordle tends to favor more common words, and I’m pretty sure the answer was sitting right there if I’d simply stayed focused. I probably could have solved it in three. I just had to CHURN it out … um, yeah.
Anyway CHURL had taken hold of me. It wanted to be in the poem. So into Wordle it went, despite me having a pretty good idea it wasn’t today’s answer.
Instead of solving the puzzle, I found myself wandering down the rabbit hole of its meaning and history.
From Merriam-Webster:
«”The word churl comes from the Old English word ceorl, which originally meant a ‘free man’ or ‘peasant’ of the lowest rank. Over centuries of English history, the term’s meaning shifted from a neutral social description of a commoner to an insult denoting rude or boorish behavior.”»
And then, to my delight, I remembered exactly where I’d heard its adjective form, churlish.
The legendary Key & Peele sketch, Mr Garvey Is Your Substitute Teacher (YouTube). Mr. Garvey drops “churlish” at about the 2:38 mark, and it’s absolutely worth watching.
Sometimes Worku makes better poets. Sometimes it teaches you a new word. Sometimes it sends you down an Old English etymology rabbit hole. And sometimes it reminds you that getting the answer isn’t nearly as much fun as following your curiosity.
letters fall into line
from puzzle to quiet verse
worku every day
The Poems
Debbie Wilson 3/6
Was salad SMART choice?
Did you skip CHORE of washing?
The stomach does CHURN
Diana Marie 2/6
Hit SAUCE hard again
Jack and Kung Pao chicken CHURN
Swear it was last time
Robo 3/6
From a passing CLOUD
A CRUMB slowly falls to earth
Gets lost in the CHURN
Mark 4/6
GRIPE at clouds old man
MORAL day with RUNNY eggs
CHURN angst with burnt toast
auntie jj 4/6
an A.I. QUERY:
how to SCOUR sink, oust CRUMBS
and CHURN sweet butter
B-lu 4/6
SLICE that red CANDY
the CROWN will applaud
then CHURN the butter
Lari 3/6
As committee CHAIR,
I say we strike a new CHORD
And CHURN up business!
Mick
I ADORE CURRY
call me a CHURL if you wish,
just CHURN out the dish