5 Useful Strategies to Help You Win at Wordle

Wordle, the daily game that is taking the Internet by storm, is a relatively simple word game.

Players must guess a five-letter word within six tries. The game tells you if you placed the correct letters or if you guessed the correct word. If the letter you typed is right and is in the correct spot, it displays as green. If the letter you typed is right and is in the wrong spot, it displays as yellow. If the letter you typed does not belong to the word, it shows up as gray.

The mechanics may seem complicated at first, but you will get used to it. Here are a few useful tips to get you started!

#1: PICK COMMONLY USED LETTERS

Do not waste your first guess with random words. Instead, pick a word that includes many vowels or a word that includes frequently used consonants. For instance, “table” is a great word that includes two commonly used vowels “a” and “e” as well as a frequently used consonant “t”. Another good word to begin with is “audio”, which can get rid of four out of five vowels immediately.

Steer away from words that involve uncommonly used consonants such as “x”, “q”, and “z” on your first guess. Remember that the point of your first guess is to narrow down your search.

#2: EXPAND YOUR VOCABULARY

Is your vocabulary getting rusty? Enhance it through reading. Vocabulary is a tool that you can bring with you while playing this game. The more words you know, the better you will do at Wordle.

While you can get clues through the color displays, using these clues to figure out the solution requires knowledge of the English language. So, reading non-fiction or fiction books as well as playing text-heavy video games can help strengthen your vocabulary.

#3: TRY TO IDENTIFY PATTERNS

Patterns are your best friend when it comes to playing Wordle. Try to identify patterns that commonly used words have. For instance, “q” will almost always be followed by “u” in the English language.

Moreover, the most common letters at the beginning of an English word are a, d, o, t, and w. Lastly, the most common letters at the end of an English word are d, e, s, and t.

#4: NEVER USE THE GRAYED-OUT LETTERS AGAIN

Beginners at Wordle can make the mistake of using the letters displayed in gray. If the letter you typed does not belong to the word, it shows up as gray. You will be wasting your chances if you use the grayed-out letters again. Focus on the in-game keyboard to help you decide which letters to use.

#5: PLAY IT DAILY

To expand your vocabulary and to familiarize yourself with how the game works, you can play it every day. Wordle and other word games are good for your brain and can be beneficial in other areas of your life.

Image Credits: powerlanguage.co.uk/wordle

Word games are all about communication and problem solving. After the past few years, I think the world could use a game to help improve communication and to help decompress stress.

Sources: 1, 2, & 3

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Download these apps if you want to train your brain

Forest app

It’s natural for the mind to decelerate as we become older. Since we’re likely to be less involved in sports, it might have an impact on our overall mental activity. As a result, it’s essential to work out often to keep our minds and bodies engaged.

Studies have found that, just as we exercise our bodies to maintain them in excellent functioning order, we should also train our brains to relax and keep them alert when they should. This could greatly reduce the chances of dementia in our later years. Keeping our brains active allows us to focus on the present moment and diverts our attention away from our anxieties.

If you want to train your brain daily, these apps could help.

TED
TED app

Image Credits: edutopia.org

TED is a worldwide network that welcomes individuals from all cultures and disciplines who want to learn more about the world. They are convinced that ideas can alter people’s minds, lifestyles, and eventually, the universe. Their mission is to make brilliant ideas accessible and create dialogues surrounding them. TED, owned by a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, makes a great platform to revisit if you’re searching for fresh inspirations.

Calm

 

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Calm bills itself as the best app for meditating, relaxing, and sleeping. They were also the Apple’s App of the Year 2017, Best of 2018 award winner, and Google Play Editor’s Choice 2018. It’s not even surprising that they have over 100 million downloads and over 1.5 million 5-star ratings.

The team is dedicated to creating sleep and mindfulness solutions that are based on solid scientific data. By downloading the app, you can discover personalized music for rest, slumber, and concentration, as well as countless hours of mindfulness meditation on subjects such as worry, panic, and relationships.

Forest
How Forest can help

Image Credits: Forest

You may plant an oak or cedar in the Forest app and watch it grow while you concentrate on your tasks. Because quitting the app halfway would cause your tree to perish, it’s an app that lets you concentrate on the present, urgent things that matter.

There are a variety of additional plant species available, some of which may be purchased with virtual gold coins. It’s a very meaningful initiative because to plant actual trees on earth, the Forest team collaborates with Trees for the Future, a real-tree-planting company. The Forest team gives to its partner and makes planting orders when users like ourselves spend virtual currency we earn while navigating through the app.

Lumosity

 

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Lumosity transforms laboratory assignments into enjoyable games where your results will be interpreted by the app, giving you useful feedback and deep insights on your cognitive levels. The team recognizes that everyone’s brain is different, regardless of age or ability level, thus their program caters to your strengths and shortcomings.

To keep yourself continually challenged, we suggest that you work out with a new set of games every day. It will help you keep your brain training habit if you use it in conjunction with their extensive progress tracking. Don’t take our word for it for Lumosity games and tests have been used in over 20 peer-reviewed articles in academic journals. One complete study can be found here.

Duolingo
Duolingo app screenshots

Image Credits: Duolingo

Duolingo is a great way to learn new languages, and evidence indicates that it works. You can earn points and level up by taking short, bite-sized quiz-like sessions while gaining real-world language skills.

Classes are personalized to help you navigate at the proper level and speed, incorporating elements of AI and language science. Reading, listening, and speaking abilities are also adequately and efficiently taught in their programs. With game-like elements, engaging challenges, and prompts from their cheerful mascot, Duo the owl, they make it easy to create a routine of learning languages. Duolingo is fully free to use, but the Plus version removes advertisements and allows you to make quicker advancements.

Headspace

 

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Consider Headspace to be your brain’s best pal. They are available to anybody who needs them, no matter the location, to assist people in getting through trying situations and finding joy in ordinary living.

Headspace helps you establish life-changing routines to enhance your psychological health and achieve a better, brighter self by using science-backed meditation and mindfulness methods. In just 10 days of usage, it has been shown to lower stress by 14%. It can also calm you down in minutes, boost your attention, and have you enjoy the best night’s sleep you’ve been longing for.

PsychologyCompass
PsychologyCompass app screenshots

Image Credits: getapp.com

The app’s goal is to use research to assist knowledge workers in attaining their optimum mental performance in a measured way. They provide a completely automated cognitive coach to help people in improving abilities including attention, communication, judgment calls, stress management, and more.

They do so by utilizing their free cognition calculator to get your benchmark rating on each category. Thereafter, you will start getting weekly bite-sized lessons based on psychological and neurological findings and content crafted by a team of PhDs that you can apply in your daily life. The app assesses your progression after each unit and tells you how far you’ve progressed.

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Which Music Streaming Service Reigns Supreme: Apple Music vs Spotify?

When it comes to the best music streaming services, Apple Music and Spotify immediately pop into our minds! After all, these two music streaming providers are leading the charts in paid subscribers. Carrying distinctive features that cater to specific users, it can be hard to choose between the two.

So, let us dig a little deeper into their traits to see which is the ideal music streaming service for you!

AUDIOPHILE-GRADE STREAMING EXPERIENCE: APPLE MUSIC

In February 2021, Spotify announced that it will be releasing its Spotify HiFi tier. This is an upgraded level of streaming that aims to deliver lossless CD-quality music. Upon its release, it will only be available in selected regions. However, Spotify users have yet to see any signs of HiFi anywhere. By default, Spotify sets its streaming quality to automatic. This setting depends on your connection strength – whether you are using Wi-Fi or cellular data.

Image Credits: unsplash.com

On the other hand, Apple Music recently released its high-resolution streaming options at no extra cost. Apple has developed its own lossless audio compression technology called Apple Lossless Audio Codec (ALAC). With it, you can experience 16-bit/44.1kHz, 24-bit/48kHz, and 24-bit/192kHz streaming and Spatial Audio through Dolby Atmos.

POCKET-FRIENDLY PLANS: APPLE MUSIC

Both Spotify and Apple Music offer three-month free trials for their premium versions. When comparing the prices of the plans, Apple Music is minutely cheaper than Spotify Premium.

Here is a comparative list:

Apple Music Spotify Premium
Free Trial 3 months 3 months
Student Plan S$4.98/month S$4.99/month
Standard Plan S$9.98/month S$9.99/month
Family Plan S$14.98/month S$14.98/month

FREE VERSION: SPOTIFY

If you are not willing to spend money on a music streaming service, you can download Spotify and use its free version. There is a catch! Spotify Free is supported by advertisers, so expect to listen to these ads.

You also cannot download your favorite songs or access the offline mode. This free version will either use your cellular data or connect to your Wi-Fi whenever you stream.

MOST FLEXIBLE STREAMING SERVICE: SPOTIFY

Choosing Apple Music is a no brainer if you are stuck in the Apple ecosystem and are blessed with a wealth of iTunes music. In contrast, Spotify welcomes both its Apple and Android users.

You can also stream your Spotify playlist across various devices from smart speakers to game consoles and smartphones. There is also a robust range of podcasts and concerts.

WHICH MUSIC STREAMING SERVICES SHOULD YOU CHOOSE?

As a personal preference, I prefer using Spotify Premium on my Android and Apple devices due to its superior song recommendation algorithm. If Spotify suddenly stopped its services and I had to switch to Apple Music, it would not be so bad.

You need to choose a service that suits your personal and financial preferences. Save money on your subscription by getting the Family Plan. Spotify and Apple Music offer Family Plans at S$14.98/month. You can share your subscription with five other people. Thus, your contribution will amount to about S$2.50/month/person.

Image Credits: unsplash.com

Are there only three members in your family? Do not worry about sharing your plan with your actual family members! You can form a group of friends or co-workers instead.

Sources: 1, 2, & 3

 

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6 Money Lessons To Avoid Being Broke

Nobody ever wakes up one morning and thinks, “I want to be broke.” A hefty loan here, a bad investment there, and a long credit card statement later – you have no idea how you landed in this state. You are living paycheck to paycheck without savings intact.

What can you do to turn the tide? Start by reading this article and applying these lessons into your life.

#1: THE POWER OF SETTING CLEAR FINANCIAL GOALS

Goals mark your direction in life. If you do not have a clear destination to work towards, it can be difficult to find the passion or motivation to save. Whether you are eyeing on purchasing a flat or figuring out how to pay off your debts, crafting a plan can get you there.

As you set your financial goals, consider making them SMART. Financial goals need to be specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time bound. Creating goals using the SMART method can help you ensure that you are working on an achievable goal within the timeline that you set. Stay on course!

#2: DON’T BUY WHAT YOU CAN’T AFFORD

Spending less than you make and buying what you can afford seem like simple personal finance rules. However, these are easier said than done. You can get distracted with the consumer-driven society that tempts you to live beyond your means. When this happens, a good rule of thumb is to save at least 15% of your income.

If you find it hard to save money, try paying for groceries and clothes with cash instead of a credit card. Take it one step further by using a budget per month. Withdrawing a fixed amount every month can help you to become more aware of your spending choices.

#3: EMBRACE THE FINANCIAL WORLD

The majority of personal finance lessons do not center around financial education, but on financial behavior. If you can modify your behavior with money, you can alter your financial future. Remember that you do not need to be a financial expert to prepare an emergency fund or to save for retirement. Start by building a solid financial plan and committing to it.

#4: THE IMPORTANCE OF INCREASING YOUR INCOME

Search for part-time jobs such as freelancing or dog walking to grow your income. You can take on other positions in the same company too. If you feel like you have reached the glass ceiling in your field, consider looking for new career paths to generate more income. Increasing your income can help your financial future.

#5: INVEST SMARTLY, AND NOT IMPULSIVELY

Investing is a good way to protect and grow your assets. However, the talent of wise investing does not come to us all. You may be succumbing to emotions and invest impulsively, hence you win big or lose big.

As a precaution, have an advisor who is trustworthy and credible. Research on your part is vital as well. It will give you the knowledge and confidence you need to make smart investments.

#6: BUDGET YOUR MONEY

It is understood that budgeting plays an essential role in controlling your spending, paying off debts, and staying on track with your financial goals. Creating a budget starts with adding up all your expenses for the month and subtracting that amount from your total income.

Image Credits: unsplash.com

Set monthly and daily spending limits to adjust and make up for any oversights. You can create a budget using a notebook, a spreadsheet, or a budgeting app. Use a tool with which you are most comfortable.

Sources: 1 & 2

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Try these lesser-known co-working spaces for a change of environment

The Great Room co-working space

Though the authorities announced the easing of the work-from-home arrangement in December last year and up to 50% of employees who can work from home will be allowed to return to the office, the other half of us are still stuck with the default.

It’s not a bad idea to wake up late, not having to squeeze with a bunch of people on buses and trains, and drawing up reports in one’s favorite PJs. But too much of something is never too good. If you agree and need a change of environment, try these lesser-known co-working spaces that are ever-ready to welcome you to their premises.

Mox

Mox at Oxley

Location: *SCAPE, The Rise @ Oxley, and Assemblage @ 362 Holland

Mox is a collaborative workspace and network for creative people to meet, engage, exchange, and invent. The diversity of events, work areas, social spaces, and folks in Mox help creatives develop and produce excellent works, whether they are enthusiasts, creative-preneurs, or established businesses.

The name derives from the word “moxie,” which denotes bravery, boldness, and audaciousness. It was created by the same folks that developed Artbox Singapore. The team thinks that their community demonstrates the guts to be unconventional and their shared spaces can physically connect people and allow individuals to produce extraordinary results via immersive experiences. Want to learn more about Mox and how having a creative workstation can help you succeed? They would be delighted to tour you around.

The Co.

The Co.

Location: 99 Duxton Road, #02-00, Singapore 089543

The Co. is a community-run facility for the public. It’s a refreshing take on the neighborhood community center, and its mission is to bring people from all walks of life together in a welcoming and supportive environment while instilling new viewpoints via art, wellbeing, food, and beverages.

The community, which is housed in a heritage shophouse in the core of the culturally fascinating Duxton neighborhood, creates, curates, and hosts contextual, betterment, and social programs. They provide individual workplaces and a friendly and suitable shared work atmosphere with passionate hearts and brilliant minds, as well as being a communal area for your unique functions.

Found8

 

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Location: Amoy, Tanjong Pagar, and High Street Centre

Found8’s private offices are completely customizable, allowing you and your staff to work in an environment that satisfactorily suits you. Simply submit a request, and the team will do all the necessary to make your dream office a reality to the best of their abilities.

There are also choices for hot desks and dedicated workstations that are versatile and tailored to your working style. It provides opportunities to chat with fellow entrepreneurs across all of their center areas. Who knows you might find yourself sitting next to a prospective business partner or valuable investor the next time you’re clocking in at Found8? You can also engage with the community by attending periodic member-only events, which feature fascinating topics that are conducted on a rotating basis across their co-working spaces.

Trehaus

 

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Location: Trehaus @ City Hall, 109 North Bridge Road, #07-21 to #07-33, Singapore 179097 (via Lift Lobby A)

In this contemporary village, you won’t ever have to face a dilemma between work and family. Whether it’s a seat you can readily plug into a few afternoons a week or a room to get work meetings done, Trehaus Business Club could very well be the ideal space for you. It was founded by working parents who desire to concentrate on their careers without forsaking their families.

The brand is Singapore’s first flexible office with an adjacent preschool operated by kind and supportive caretakers, allowing you to work in peace while your child is tended to only steps away. And when your infant is ready for kindergarten, Trehaus School, which is located next door, will provide them with an elite education syllabus you can trust.​

Gather Cowork

Gather Cowork

Location: 22 Martin Road, Level 3, Singapore 239058

Gather Cowork is a present-day coworking site that provides a variety of workplace alternatives, from S$750/month fixed desks with a view to S$900/month customizable and fully-furnished private offices, and meeting spaces for seminars, networking opportunities, and community engagements. There are also a variety of business services available.

The team strives to develop a tribe of like-minded folks that bring continual enthusiasm to their work tasks every day. They are located near the Central Business District (CBD) and are surrounded by a variety of fitness and lifestyle enterprises. Time to gather if you want to flourish together as a community at Gather Cowork. Did we mention that they are pet-friendly too?

The Great Room

The Great Room Singapore

Location: Afro Asia, Raffles Arcade, Ngee Ann City, Centennial Tower, and One George Street

The Great Room was founded in 2016 to revolutionize the way people want to work, socialize, and exchange ideas. It’s a space that’s perfect for serious conversations, deep reflection, and thorough research, but it’s also great for mingling and socializing. Trust us when we say it’s a fantastic place for both work and pleasure.

The team recognizes that a diverse workforce has a wide variety of demands and that meeting those needs necessitates flexibility. Their dedicated office solution is ideal for both established businesses and startup companies looking for a place to call home for the short or long term. The new age self-starters will be able to swiftly link up with the finest and brightest thanks to their well-structured common spaces. Each venue is sited in a bustling neighborhood in the heart of the city for the convenience you need.

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