Hamword is a Winlink-based game that mimics the popular five-letter word guessing game, Wordle. The goal of this game is to give hams a way to practice their Winlink skills while having some fun guessing an unknown five-letter word.
The only thing you need to play the game is an amateur radio license and an operational Winlink account. You can learn more about setting up Winlink at http://ok.arrl.org/nts/ntsoksoftware/.
How to Play
Once you have Winlink up and running, simply send a five-letter word via Winlink to the tactical call sign HAMWORD. The subject line can be anything you wish, and the message body should contain just your guess. Your messages will be graded and returned via a Winlink message at 00, 15, 30, and 45 minutes past the hour.
Response Key
Since Winlink doesn’t allow text colors, you will receive a five-number “key” that will guide you in your next choice. The numbers 0, 1, and 2 are returned using the following definitions:
- 0 means that the letter above the key is not seen in the word that you are guessing. (Similar to gray.)
- 1 means that the letter above the key is used in the word that you are guessing, but it is in the wrong location. (Similar to yellow.)
- 2 means that the letter above the key is used in the word you are guessing, and it is in the correct location. (Similar to green.)
Weekly Reset
In this game, the guessed word will reset weekly at 00:00Z on Monday (Sunday evening in the United States). So, make your guesses throughout the week and make sure you solve the puzzle before the word resets. You have six chances to solve the puzzle each week.
Hamword Handout
If you wish to share Hamword with friends and fellow Winlink users, there’s a PDF handout available at this link.
30-Day Leaderboard
| Callsign | Name | ARRL Section/Country | Wins | Entries |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AD0BY | Ron D Morris | Missouri | 5 | 5 |
| AG5DV | Edwin F Hatch | Oklahoma | 5 | 5 |
| AI5IJ | Ricky D Rhoton | Oklahoma | 5 | 5 |
| G1BVI | Nick Moldon | England | 5 | 5 |
| K0WET | Brad R Greenwood | Colorado | 5 | 5 |
| K6FW | FRANK C WESTPHAL | Orange | 5 | 5 |
| K7MNF | MICHAEL N FISHER | Western Washington | 5 | 5 |
| KA2R | Martin W Lifgren, Jr | Eastern New York | 5 | 5 |
| KB2RTI | ROBERT L BRUNNER, JR | Northern New Jersey | 5 | 5 |
| KB3CME | Charles A Brandner, II | Idaho | 5 | 5 |
| KF1D | Bryan A Marcotte | Western Massachusetts | 5 | 5 |
| KF5NQV | Robert H Sieger | Oklahoma | 5 | 5 |
| KG7AV | Raymond J Spreier | Oregon | 5 | 5 |
| KG7MYX | Michael R Judy | Western Washington | 5 | 5 |
| KH6L | Terence S Dowling | Pacific | 5 | 5 |
| KK7AZD | Cynthia W Albro | Oregon | 5 | 5 |
| KM4FKN | Charles P Richards | Maryland-DC | 5 | 5 |
| KN4KWA | CHARLES F WEBB | North Carolina | 5 | 5 |
| N0ZJT | ERIC A GRAMS | Iowa | 5 | 5 |
| N2MHO | Michael Harla | Southern New Jersey | 5 | 5 |
| N3FWE | Steven M Hancock | Eastern Pennsylvania | 5 | 5 |
| N5AZQ | MARK T CLAYTON | Oklahoma | 5 | 5 |
| N7JAK | David B Jackson | Western Washington | 5 | 5 |
| VA3PC | Michael Paul Caccamo | Canada | 5 | 5 |
| VA7TEV | Thomas William Evdokimoff | Canada | 5 | 5 |
Current Week Leaderboard / Activity
| Callsign | Name | ARRL Section/Country | Guesses | Status | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | W3SWL | Brett D Saylor | Western Pennsylvania | 2 | Win |
| 2. | KG7MYX | Michael R Judy | Western Washington | 3 | Win |
| 3. | N7JAK | David B Jackson | Western Washington | 3 | Win |
| 4. | KN4KWA | CHARLES F WEBB | North Carolina | 3 | Win |
| 5. | N5AZQ | MARK T CLAYTON | Oklahoma | 3 | Win |
| 6. | K0WET | Brad R Greenwood | Colorado | 3 | Win |
| 7. | KG7GTC | Robert G Sipes | Western Washington | 3 | Win |
| 8. | G1BVI | Nick Moldon | England | 3 | Win |
| 9. | VK4YOI | Martin Driscoll | Australia | 3 | Win |
| 10. | N3FWE | Steven M Hancock | Eastern Pennsylvania | 3 | Win |
| 11. | KG7AV | Raymond J Spreier | Oregon | 3 | Win |
| 12. | W9MDT | Mike D Tanksley | Indiana | 3 | Win |
| 13. | KT5LA | Jay Wilson | Santa Clara Valley | 3 | Win |
| 14. | KF1D | Bryan A Marcotte | Western Massachusetts | 3 | Win |
| 15. | N7FMH | Freddie M Hillhouse, Jr | New Hampshire | 3 | Win |
| 16. | KE6BEE | HOWDY GOUDEY | East Bay | 3 | Win |
| 17. | KB3CME | Charles A Brandner, II | Idaho | 3 | Win |
| 18. | N8SQT | ROBERT A RECNY | Oregon | 3 | Win |
| 19. | K6FW | FRANK C WESTPHAL | Orange | 3 | Win |
| 20. | AG5DV | Edwin F Hatch | Oklahoma | 4 | Win |
| 21. | VA7TEV | Thomas William Evdokimoff | Canada | 4 | Win |
| 22. | KK7AZD | Cynthia W Albro | Oregon | 4 | Win |
| 23. | WB9YIG | DAVID M JULIAN | Indiana | 4 | Win |
| 24. | N2MHO | Michael Harla | Southern New Jersey | 4 | Win |
| 25. | N0ZJT | ERIC A GRAMS | Iowa | 4 | Win |
| 26. | VE6LK | Vince d'Eon | Canada | 4 | Win |
| 27. | W6AUN | PERRY B LUNDQUIST | Colorado | 4 | Win |
| 28. | WZ7L | Robert Allen | Western Washington | 4 | Win |
| 29. | KH6L | Terence S Dowling | Pacific | 4 | Win |
| 30. | WA7JR | JUDI A ROBINS | Idaho | 4 | Win |
| 31. | NK2A | Lois L Strong | Western New York | 4 | Win |
| 32. | K7MNF | MICHAEL N FISHER | Western Washington | 4 | Win |
| 33. | K7QB | ROBERT W PERRY | Indiana | 4 | Win |
| 34. | KE8RPJ | Steven M Bohlen | Ohio | 4 | Win |
| 35. | AI5IJ | Ricky D Rhoton | Oklahoma | 5 | Win |
| 36. | W7DXT | Mark R Metzler | Western Washington | 5 | Win |
| 37. | WB7FHC | WARREN L CHURCHWARD | Western Washington | 5 | Win |
| 38. | WB0KHQ | Tim L Moody | Iowa | 5 | Win |
| 39. | WO9B | MICHAEL J JOHNSON | Wisconsin | 5 | Win |
| 40. | KB2RTI | ROBERT L BRUNNER, JR | Northern New Jersey | 5 | Win |
| 41. | KM4FKN | Charles P Richards | Maryland-DC | 5 | Win |
| 42. | AD0BY | Ron D Morris | Missouri | 5 | Win |
| 43. | VE1CWJ | John Langille | Canada | 5 | Win |
| 44. | VA3PC | Michael Paul Caccamo | Canada | 5 | Win |
| 45. | W1SAV | Walter L Savinovich | Santa Clara Valley | 5 | Win |
| 46. | KF5NQV | Robert H Sieger | Oklahoma | 6 | Win |
| 47. | KD2NQV | James P Stucko | Western New York | 6 | Win |
| 48. | W0CBP | Christopher B Pfeifer | South Dakota | 6 | Win |
| 49. | KA2R | Martin W Lifgren, Jr | Eastern New York | 6 | Win |
| 50. | KB8PFZ | AARON J SMITH | Michigan | 1 | Playing |
| 51. | KQ4DSO | Patrick S Sheering, Jr | Virginia | 1 | Playing |
| 52. | KE5TAY-10 | Landon M Estay | West Texas | 2 | Playing |
| 53. | KD8WCK | Richard A DeMattia | Ohio | 3 | Playing |
| 54. | N4AAA | Earl R Gillam | Tennessee | 3 | Playing |
| 55. | N4RJB | Richard Bridges | West Central Florida | 5 | Playing |
| 56. | K8YHY | ERIK D YATER | West Virginia | 5 | Playing |
Other Leaderboard Pages
73, de N5HZR