I didn't know you could talk to the bot before you finished. I got it in four today, but I only found one pangram and am still not to Genius for the Bee... I have 189 as of right now. I try not to resort to hints until I hit Genius. I am, however, kicking ass at getting "purple firsts" at Connections these days.

Have you guys gotten the "create your own Wordle" on your apps yet (if you use the app)? I've had it for a week, and it's fun! I do one every morning for my Wordle buddy. He has not sent one to me, so I'm guessing it hasn't rolled out everywhere yet, but I keep forgetting to ask him. Or, actually, I don't think he uses the app. Maybe that's it. Anyway, it's fun!

I try not to resort to hints until I hit Genius.

My arbitrary number is that if I am 12 points or fewer away from Genius, then I can use the Spelling Bee Buddy hints. I use the regular hints (like the 2-letter combos) whenever I hit a wall. Some days that happens a lot sooner than other days. I am *terrible* at Spelling Bees that don't have an "E" in the mix.