Five vowel selection
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- Acolyte
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Five vowel selection
I've noticed that players tend to avoid selecting five vowels, but I would say there's a reasonably good chance of making 8 and 9 letter words from them.
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Re: Five vowel selection
Surely 4 vowels is far more optimal?
Last edited by Dave Preece on Mon Dec 16, 2013 1:04 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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- Acolyte
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Re: Five vowel selection
True. But so is picking one large number instead of four large/six small, but some players like a challenge.
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Re: Five vowel selection
Depends on your strengths and weaknesses, most of my fancy words are vowel heavy like THIOUREA etc etc although I have taken to choosing 3 vowels, I'll get some stats from apterous and share them in here for your digestion
- Callum Todd
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Re: Five vowel selection
I think it says somewhere in the Countdown contestant guidelines that 5C,4V is statistically the most bountiful selection. Not sure which is generally better between 3V and 5V though. I guess players will pick for whatever they feel most comfortable with. Before I joined apterous, I would normally pick 3 vowels, just because to me the selections always looked 'nicer' as they came out that way, and I've noticed most of the non-apterous contestants also pick 3 vowels.
Mark Deeks wrote:Callum Todd looks like a young Ted Bundy.
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- Acolyte
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Re: Five vowel selection
Or pick what you think your opponent would be weak at.
For example, some players pick 6 small numbers. I doubt that it's what they're most comfortable with, but rather what they perceive to be their opponent's weak spot.
For example, some players pick 6 small numbers. I doubt that it's what they're most comfortable with, but rather what they perceive to be their opponent's weak spot.
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Re: Five vowel selection
I prefer 4V but occasionally use 5V when there are no E or made it long word
Re: Five vowel selection
Some players use 5V to simplify / reduce variability in letters rounds. (There are only 5 different vowels so obviously less variety, if you play a lot of 5V you'll get used to spotting lots of 7 letter words with 4 vowels, for example) A bit like using 4 large numbers it doesn't make it easier but can give you an advantage over players less used to the choice.
Jonathan Rawlinson used 5V to great effect on the show
Jonathan Rawlinson used 5V to great effect on the show
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Re: Five vowel selection
Statistically speaking, what letters selection is more likelier to get the more points?
There are only 3 different selections you can go for, so clearly it's a lot easier to work out that the numbers.
There are only 3 different selections you can go for, so clearly it's a lot easier to work out that the numbers.
- Callum Todd
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Re: Five vowel selection
Dave Preece wrote:Statistically speaking, what letters selection is more likelier to get the more points?
Callum Todd wrote:I think it says somewhere in the Countdown contestant guidelines that 5C,4V is statistically the most bountiful selection.
Mark Deeks wrote:Callum Todd looks like a young Ted Bundy.
- Innis Carson
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Re: Five vowel selection
Apterous agrees - 7.77 average max for 4V, compared to 7.42 for 3V and 7.26 for 5V. Of course the selections on apterous may not be exactly comparable to those on Countdown (shuffling yada yada) but I'd be very surprised if the difference was great enough to overturn such a clear trend.
Obviously the best choice varies depending on what the first 4 consonants and 3 vowels in a selection are though.
Obviously the best choice varies depending on what the first 4 consonants and 3 vowels in a selection are though.
- Andy Platt
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Re: Five vowel selection
That's why all the best contestants start with 4 consonants
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Re: Five vowel selection
I can't think of any that do.