My journey with Contexto: A Wordle alternative that keeps you guessing

• Wordle has taken over social media, but if you’re looking for a similar game, try Contexto.
• Contexto is an AI-powered word game that tracks your progress in guessing the word of the day.
• The app has a user-friendly interface and unlimited guesses, but doesn’t accept certain words as guesses.
• The closer you get to the word, the lower your rank and the color of the bar changes.
• There’s no denying the dopamine hit when you get closer to the right guess and see your rank improve.
• It’s worth a shot if you’re looking for a new word game to play during breaks.

If I were to pick one game that defined 2024, it would undoubtedly be Wordle. Owned by The New York Times, Wordle swept across Twitter like wildfire, becoming the talk of the town. The unsaid mantra was to guess a five-letter word in six tries and then post about it. If you managed to guess the word in three tries, you were on a coveted streak. Some even boasted about guessing the word in less than three tries.

But if you’re like me, still eager to flex your vocabulary muscles and have a penchant for word games, let me introduce you to Contexto. This app, powered by an artificial intelligence algorithm, tracks how close you are to guessing the word of the day. With just over 500,000+ downloads and a three-star rating on the Google Play Store, Contexto also offers a web version playable on a browser.

Getting started with Contexto

As soon as I downloaded the app, I was immediately taken to a page where I could start playing the game. The user interface featured a black background with a box in the middle labeled ‘Today’s Game.’ I found that I could change the background to white in the settings, which was also accessible from the main page.

I noticed an option to click on ‘Previous Games,’ allowing me to guess words dating back to January. Once I got the hang of it, everything seemed pretty self-explanatory. But for those who might need a guide, there’s a handy “How to Play” section on the main page.

Playing the game

To start the game of the day, I clicked on continue. This led me to another page with a bar where I could type in my guesses. The closer I got to the word of the day, the lower my rank became, and the color of the bar changed. For instance, if I was far from guessing the right word, the ranking would be a four-digit number, and the color of the bar would be red. As I got closer, the color changed to orange with a three-digit ranking, leading right up to green. The ranks could still be in three, two-, and single-digit numbers. The best part? I had an unlimited number of guesses.

My experience

I must note that Contexto does not accept certain words as guesses. For instance, it couldn’t recognize Sony, Star, and Netflix, among others. There isn’t a single way to crack the game. However, it does seem to function a bit on patterns. For instance, when I started guessing the words today, these were majorly random guesses. But then the word ‘Diner’ turned the bar green, and the algorithm gave it a #51 rank.

Seeing a double-digit rank meant I was getting closer to the right word. Then I started guessing food that was sold or things related to a diner. Pizza, fries, rice, pastries, and coffee, among others. The bar kept turning green, and the rank fluctuated between higher and lower double digits.

Conclusion

There’s no denying the dopamine hit when the bar suddenly turns green, and you get a rank in the lower digits. Single digits are the best because it means you’re coming closer to your right guess. But, the unlimited guesses are a double-edged sword—while you can keep predicting and trying to figure out a pattern, you need to be patient while playing it.

Unlike Wordle, where the guesses are limited, there is a complete end once you exhaust the tries. In this unlimited guess version, you could beat around the category and still be unable to finish. Hints could have been a good addition, especially since you have infinite tries. Some of the words are great in interesting areas like food.

All in all, it’s worth a shot when you get some time off or during breaks at work, particularly because the dopamine rush after you bag a single-digit rank is too hard to beat. So, if you’re up for a challenge, give Contexto a try. Who knows, you might just find your new favorite word game!