HAMWORD

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

CallsignNameARRL Section/CountryWinsEntries
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

 CallsignNameARRL Section/CountryGuessesStatus
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
215 Total Guesses


Other Leaderboard Pages

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