Sedec-order and Savior: a guide to Sedecordle's two extra modes
Sedec-order and Savior are two daily variations of Sedecordle. In Sedec-order the sixteen boards open one at a time, in order, and you get 23 guesses instead of 21. In Savior four guesses are already played on every board when you start, so you begin with clues but only 17 guesses of your own. Each mode has its own daily puzzle and its own statistics.
Sedec-order: one board at a time
In Sedec-order only board 1 is open at the start. You can see the colors of the open board only. When you solve it, board 2 opens and immediately shows how all your earlier guesses scored on it. The game goes on like this until board 16.
The key rule: a board only counts as solved if you guess its word while that board is open. If you happen to type board 9's word while you are still on board 3, it colors the tiles on board 9 but doesn't solve it. When board 9 opens you have to type the word again. That repeat is why the mode gives you two extra guesses.
Strategy for Sedec-order
- Opening words still pay off. Their colors are stored on every board and appear the moment each board opens, so a good set like AROSE, UNLIT, DUCHY, GIMPY helps all sixteen boards, not just the first.
- Solve each board as fast as you can. Nothing else counts until the open board is done, so don't play extra "information" guesses once a board has one clear answer.
- Choose guesses that help later boards. When two words fit the open board, pick the one whose letters you haven't tried yet; its colors are waiting on the boards to come.
- Watch the budget. 23 guesses for 16 boards leaves seven spare, but every repeated word and every opener comes out of them.
Savior: start with four guesses played
Savior fills in four guesses for you before you type anything. They are ordinary words with no repeated letters, chosen so that none of them is an answer on any board. Their only job is to give clues. The four rows count toward the normal 21 guesses, which leaves you 17 of your own for sixteen boards: one spare guess.
Strategy for Savior
- Read before you type. After those four rows, several boards are often down to one possible word. Find them first.
- Skip your usual openers. You already have four rows of clues, and with one spare guess there is no room for more.
- Solve the clear boards in a row. Each solved board still colors the others, so the remaining boards get easier as you go.
- Treat the spare guess as precious. If you use it early, every later board has to be right first time.
Which mode is harder?
It depends on how you play.
| Classic | Sedec-order | Savior | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Guesses | 21 | 23 | 21 (4 already played) |
| Spare guesses | 5 | 7 | 1 |
| Boards you can see | All 16 | Only the open board | All 16 |
| Hardest part | Planning the budget | Repeated words | No room for mistakes |
Careful planners often find Savior quicker, because the opening is done for them. Players who like to explore usually prefer Sedec-order, where the extra guesses forgive a few experiments. The classic game sits in between; our strategy guide covers it in detail.
Daily puzzles, practice and answers
Both modes have their own daily puzzle, separate from the classic one, and both reset at midnight in your time zone. You can also play them as unlimited practice games with any word length from 4 to 11 letters. If a board beats you, the answers page lists each day's words for all three modes, with hints that reveal one step at a time.