Griddle (Pole to Paddock)

About Griddle (Pole to Paddock)

Griddle is the word game on Pole to Paddock, a free Formula 1 site of stats, fantasy tools and games. It plays like Wordle, but the answer is always taken from the paddock: a driver's surname such as RINDT or KVYAT, a team, a circuit, a country on the calendar or a racing word like SLICK or APEX.

Each day there are three puzzles, one at 5 letters, one at 6 and one at 7, and every player gets the same three words. You pick a length, type a guess and press Enter. The tiles turn green for a letter in the right spot and grey for one that is not in the word, with a separate colour for a letter that is in the word but in the wrong place. You have six tries. Each length keeps its own streak and its own stats, so a miss on the 7-letter word does not end your 5-letter run.

Guesses do not have to be F1 words: any real English word of the right length is accepted, which lets you open with a strong vowel word before narrowing in on a name. A Hint button tells you what kind of word the answer is (a driver, a team, a place or a term), a timer runs while you play, and a colour-blind palette can be switched on. When the day's puzzles are done you can share your grid, or move to Free Play for as many fresh words as you like without touching your daily streak.

Griddle suits Formula 1 fans who already play a daily Wordle and want one about their sport. It plays in the browser with no account; the site carries display ads, one of which sits below the keyboard on a phone, clear of the board. The rest of the site has more daily F1 games beside it.

How to play Griddle (Pole to Paddock)

1. Open Griddle and leave the mode on Daily.
2. Choose the 5, 6 or 7-letter puzzle.
3. Type any real English word of that length and press Enter.
4. Read the colours: green is the right letter in the right spot, grey is a letter that is not in the word, and the third colour is a letter in the word but in another spot.
5. Use what you learned on the next guess and find the F1 word within six tries.
6. Share your grid, then try the other two lengths or switch to Free Play for extra words.

Screenshots

Tips

• Answers are often driver surnames, so think of names with awkward letters (Kvyat, Rindt, Sutil) when the common letters run out.
• Open with an ordinary English word rich in vowels: it does not need to be about F1.
• Use Hint when you are stuck between a name and a racing term: it tells you which kind of word the answer is.
• Play all three lengths: each has its own streak, so one bad day only breaks one of them.

Questions