Optimal Algorithm for Winning Hangman

Question

In the game Hangman, is it the case that a greedy letter-frequency algorithm is equivalent to a best-chance-of-winning algorithm?

Is there ever a case where it\'s worth

Answer 1

I have written a script that solves hangman optimally [github].

My basic strategy is this:

• For a pattern such as ..e.. with tried letters: e,s,t
• Check against words of only n digits (in this case 5)
• Create a list of possible words
  • Create a regex from the supplied info
  • In this case it would be [^est][^est]e[^est][^est]
  • Parse your word list for words that match this regex
• Cycle through each word, counting up the number of times every letter appears
• Your optimal next guess is the most likely letter