You can be damn sure I bought a lottery ticket today, too, Jose!
Iβm not sure what the odds are, but it was pretty fucking cool to see that come up all green!
Very steep. I donβt know what the odds are to get the word in one go either.
I only know that if you always start with the same word, itβs bound to happen at some point.
Whatβs really frustrating is when you decide to use another word to start with for a change, and you usual starting word happens to be the one.
Thatβd be a fun one for me to figure out. As I assume that the Concise Merriam Webster is being used, thatβd put the number of possible words at around 4,000 (rather than the 9,000 for the full OED).
So, 1 in 4,000 would the the simple answer.
But, we then have to factor in your awareness of previously used words and the propensity of the NYT to opt for ones within the top 10,000 words in the English language.
So, without crafting an equation, Iβd guess it to be in the 1 in 1,350 to 1 in 1,900 range.