# guess_13_discern_decide_cot Prompts and Outputs

## Prompts

system: ""”

Thanks for joining us. I’m sorry my team couldn’t explain more on the chopper before you got here. I’m sure you’re wondering why the FBI flew in a professional word-puzzle solver during a national emergency. It’s because we need your help. There’s no easy way to put this, but terrorists have planted a bomb inside a children’s hospital, and the only way for us to defuse that bomb is by solving this word puzzle correctly. If we fail, thousands of innocent children will die.

We brought you in because you’ve got PhDs in linguistics, creative writing, and logic from Harvard, Yale, and Stanford. They say you’re the best at New York Times connections puzzles. For the sake of us all, I hope they’re right. You seem cool as a cucumber. Good. We needed someone who could keep their wits about them under pressure.

This puzzle is just like a New York Times connections puzzle. The puzzle requires finding the correct hidden connections from among a list of words. From a list of words, there are groups of four words that have something in common.

Our team of puzzle solvers has put together their notes on possible guesses. We need a fresh set of eyes on these options.

Your job is to look over those notes, consider the merits of different guesses, and decide whether any of these guesses is strong enough that we should submit it now. If none of these guesses is strong enough to submit, we’ll go back to brainstorming other possible connections and check back in with you when we’ve got the next round of options.

This is a New York Times puzzle, so the connections between words will always be trickier than simple connections like “5-letter word,” “Name” or “Verb.” Connections that are unique to a particular group of words are more likely to be correct than generic connections that can apply to many groups of words.

Each of the four words must fit equally well for the connection. Each word in the connection should be at the same level of specificity for the connection and have the same relationship to the connection. Look out for one word that doesn’t quite fit! Pay attention to when one word is a different part of speech than the other words as this often indicates a bad guess. If the connection doesn’t apply as cleanly to one word as the others, you should either find a suitable replacement for that word or reject the guess as an option.

Connections usually conform to the following patterns:

Words that are each followed by the same letters
Example: Words that are each followed by “berry”: BLUE GOOSE RASP STRAW

Words that are each followed by the same word or phrase
Example: Words that are each followed by “Valley”: DEATH HIDDEN SILICON UNCANNY

Words that are each homophones
Example: Words that are each homophones of names of animals: DEAR HAIR HOARSE WAIL

Words that each modify the same word
Example: Words that each modify “pepper”: BELL BLACK DR GHOST

Words that are each one letter away from something else in common
Example: Words that are each birds minus last letter: CONDO HAW HERO LOO

Words that each come after the same letters
Example: Words that each come after “tele”: COMMUTE MEDICINE PROMPTER VISION

Words that each come after the same word or phrase
Example: Words that each come after “SECRET”: AGENT CODE SANTA SAUCE

Words that each share the same unique characteristic.
Example: Words that are each two letters + number: CANINE FREIGHT OFTEN STONE

Words that are all within the same category
Example: Words that are all within the category of “places in France”: CHAMPAGNE DIJON NICE TOURS

Words that are each different aspects of the same thing
Example: Words that are each different aspects of the sharpness as of an image: CLARITY DEFINITION DETAIL RESOLUTION

Words that are each a kind of a thing
Example: Words that are each a kind of organization: CLUB GROUP PARTY TEAM

Words that are parts of the same thing or process
Example: Words that are each parts of a car: BUMPER HOOD TIRE TRUNK

Words that share a pop culture reference
Example: Words that are each the name of jazz legends: HANCOCK HOLIDAY MONK PARKER

Words that each relate to the same thing
Example: Words that each relate to “Happy New Year!”: BALL COUNTDOWN FIREWORKS KISS

Words that are each a way to do the same thing.
Examples: Words that are each a way to remove hair: SHAVE THREAD TWEEZE WAX

Words that are each a type of the same thing.
Example: Words that are each a type of name prefix: GEN MS PROF REV

Words that can be synonymous adjectives.
Example: Words that can each be an adjective meaning “wee”: DINKY LITTLE MINUTE SLIGHT

Words that can be synonymous nouns
Example: Words that can each be a noun meaning “scheme”: PLOT PLOY RUSE TRICK

Words that can be synonymous verbs.
Example: Words that can each be a verb meaning “to shepherd”: DIRECT GUIDE LEAD STEER

Words that are each a part of a different word within the same category
Example: Words that are each the first letters of the name of a planet: EAR MAR MER SAT

Words that connect to different meanings of the same word
Example: Words that each represent what the word “I” can mean in different contexts: IODINE IOTA MYSELF ONE

Any guess worth guessing must be based on a connection that applies to exactly four words. If a connection applies to five or more words, it is not a guess worth guessing. If a connection applies to fewer than four words, it is not a guess worth guessing. 

***Start of notes on possible guesses***

Let's evaluate the two viable solutions from the notes and see which one is the strongest:

1. **THRUST, PUSH-UP, CORE, SPORTS**:
   - **Explanation**: These words are all related to physical exercise or fitness. "Thrust" and "push-up" are exercises, "core" refers to core muscles targeted in workouts, and "sports" is a category of physical activities.

2. **CORE, WIRELESS, SUBSTANCE, THRUST**:
   - **Explanation**: These words each connect to different meanings of the word "essence" or "central part." "Core" as the central part, "wireless" as communication without wires, "substance" as matter or essence, and "thrust" as force or main point.

Now, let's analyze each guess:

- **THRUST, PUSH-UP, CORE, SPORTS**: 
  - "Thrust" and "push-up" are indeed exercises, and "core" is related to fitness. However, "sports" is a broader category and not specifically an exercise. This connection might be a bit too general, as "sports" doesn't fit as neatly with the other three words.

- **CORE, WIRELESS, SUBSTANCE, THRUST**:
  - This connection is more abstract, focusing on the idea of "essence" or "central part." "Core" and "substance" fit well with this theme. "Thrust" as the main point or force also aligns with this idea. "Wireless" is a bit of a stretch, but it can be seen as communication without the "core" of wires, which ties into the theme of essence or centrality.

Considering the specificity and the level of abstraction required for New York Times puzzles, the second guess seems to have a more unique and precise connection. The first guess is more straightforward but might be too broad due to the inclusion of "sports."

**Top Choice for Submission**: **CORE, WIRELESS, SUBSTANCE, THRUST**. This guess has a more nuanced connection that aligns with the typical complexity of New York Times puzzles.

***End of notes on possible guesses***

 
 
 You should not submit a guess that we already know was incorrect. If the notes on possible guesses suggest submitting an incorrect guess, you can select a different guess. 


You should decide for us to submit a guess now if you are confident that it is part of the answer to the puzzle. You should decide for us to go back to brainstorming other possible connections if we don’t have a strong guess to submit. You don’t need to figure out all the right guesses for the puzzle right now. You just need to determine whether there is a strong option for one out of the four guesses that comprise the solution to this puzzle.

Let’s think this through step by step. Share every thought that comes to mind. Good luck, godspeed, and God bless America. We’re all counting on you.

"""

user: Should I submit a guess from these notes as an answer for this puzzle: DEMI SUBSTANCE LADY MEAT WIRELESS THRUST CORE BIG SUE PUSH-UP EARLY SPORTS

## Output

Let's evaluate the two guesses from the notes and see if either is strong enough to submit:

1. **THRUST, PUSH-UP, CORE, SPORTS**:
   - **Explanation**: These words are related to physical exercise or fitness. However, "sports" is a broader category and not specifically an exercise, which makes this connection less precise.

2. **CORE, WIRELESS, SUBSTANCE, THRUST**:
   - **Explanation**: These words connect to different meanings of the word "essence" or "central part." "Core" and "substance" fit well with this theme. "Thrust" as the main point or force also aligns with this idea. "Wireless" is a bit of a stretch, but it can be seen as communication without the "core" of wires, which ties into the theme of essence or centrality.

Given the options, the second guess, **CORE, WIRELESS, SUBSTANCE, THRUST**, seems to have a more unique and precise connection, which aligns with the typical complexity of New York Times puzzles. The first guess is more straightforward but might be too broad due to the inclusion of "sports."

Therefore, I recommend submitting the guess **CORE, WIRELESS, SUBSTANCE, THRUST**. This guess has a more nuanced connection that fits the criteria for a strong guess in this type of puzzle.

