Eldrow rootword vs grid clarifications

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I have had a few queries on Eldrow rules especially with respect to repeating letters in the ‘root word’. Keep in mind that we are reverse engineering a candidate answer from a root word, as opposed to the other way round.

Let’s start with a simple example puzzle and one of its correct answers. We will move on to seemingly complex answers after this one.

Puzzle #1

“MATCH” is the root word in this puzzle. The multi-color grid above it is where you type your guess and press enter. The colored tiles on this specific grid place the following constraints on a correct answer:

• One green tile on top of “C” means that a valid answer should have “C” in the same slot as in “MATCH”, that is the fourth slot.
• Two yellow tiles mean that a valid answer should have two letters of “MATCH”, other than “C”, in different slots from those in “MATCH”.
• Two black tiles mean that two letters in “MATCH”, other than “C”, are not in the answer.

“REACT” is one of the possible answers to this puzzle. There are other words that fit.. You need to get just one right. If you put “REACT” through the constraints listed above, you will find that it fits them all.

Puzzle #1 with one possible answer.

And now, for a seemingly complex puzzle.

Puzzle #2 and one possible solution

The root word here, ‘CRESS’, has 2 Ss.

• This grid has a green tile on top of the second S in the fifth slot. This means that the last letter in any viable answer is S. It also has a green tile on top of the E in the third slot. This means that the third letter in any viable answer is E.
• The two yellows in the grid signify that two letters in ‘CRESS’ other than the last S and the E, exist in the answer but are not in the same slots as in ‘CRESS’. Available options are ‘C’, ‘R’ and the second ‘S’ as long as they are not placed in the same slot as in the root word.
• The one black/grey tile above ‘C’ suggests that it should be occupied by a letter that is not in ‘CRESS’.
• ‘USERS’ is a correct answer because it satisfies all the conditions above.
• ‘ACERS’ is another possible answer. Place it in the grid and you will see that it satisfies all the conditions that the grid and root word together place on it. There are other correct answers.
• The answer here need not have two Ss but it does need to have one S in the fifth slot.

Puzzle #3 (Grid only)

Here is another example of a root word with double letters.

‘HENCE’ is one of the correct answers for this puzzle. Let’s see why.

• The green tile on top of the last E in EXILE means that the last letter of any candidate answer is E.
• The yellow tile on top of the X in EXILE confirms that X is 1. not in the second spot in any correct answers and 2. Since there isn’t another yellow tile, it also confirms that X doesn’t exist in any correct answer.
• So, other than the last E, which is locked, we have only one other letter among I, L and the first E in any possible answer.

HENCE satisfies these conditions perfectly.

@eldrowgame