Workshop › Wordle-style Word Guess › Step 14 of 26

Right letter, wrong place

What we are doing

Yellow means "in the word, somewhere else". The catch is repeated letters: each letter of the word can be used only once. So we count the word's letters not taken by a green, and hand out yellows from that count.

```js
// Mark each letter: green in the right place, yellow somewhere else in the word, gray not (or not that many times).
function score(guess, word) {
  const marks = Array(5).fill('gray')
  const left = {} // letters of the word not matched by a green
  for (let i = 0; i < 5; i++) {
    if (guess[i] === word[i]) marks[i] = 'green'
    else left[word[i]] = (left[word[i]] || 0) + 1
  }
  for (let i = 0; i < 5; i++) {
    if (marks[i] !== 'green' && left[guess[i]] > 0) {
      marks[i] = 'yellow'
      left[guess[i]] -= 1
    }
  }
  return marks
}
```

What it means

left is an object used as a counting table: left['r'] is how many rs of the word are still free.
(left[x] || 0) + 1 adds one, starting from 0 the first time (when left[x] is undefined).
The second loop gives a yellow only while that letter is still free, and takes one away each time.

Your turn

Write the comment above score, add the left line and the else line in the first loop, and write the second loop above return marks.

Skills: Arrays and objects, Loops

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