Hard mode adds one rule: every guess must reuse the green and yellow clues you've already found. It sounds restrictive — but it's a surprisingly good discipline.
What changes
You can no longer 'throw away' a guess to probe fresh letters. Every word must respect what you know, which forces each guess to make genuine progress toward the answer.
The upside
- No wasted guesses on impossible words
- Forces you to actually use your clues
- Often lowers your average once you adapt
The risk
On tricky days with many candidate words (like _ATCH giving MATCH, BATCH, LATCH, CATCH), hard mode can trap you into guessing them one by one. Plan a single word that distinguishes several candidates at once.
Whether you play hard mode or not, the daily hints page is there if you get truly stuck.
