Have you ever watchedWheel of Fortuneand thought “I could win this”? Or any game show, for that matter. If so, you’re certainly not alone. Though most game shows do rely heavily on luck, there are some tips and strategies that are worth knowing should you ever get the opportunity to spin the wheel. From prioritizing vowels to memorizing categories, here are 6 of the biggest tips to help winWheel of Fortune!
The first tip to succeeding onWheel of Fortunebegins before you even get on the show, meaning you can start preparing now! Something that will help you in the long run is to learn the categories and familiarize yourself with them. Doing this will help you figure out what letters to call, as you may be able to figure out certain patterns within the categories. For example, the category“Things” often is a plural, so calling an ‘S’ is usually a safe bet as the puzzle will likely end on that letter.Similarly, the category “What Are You Doing?” often ends in “-ing” so you can call those letters to feel out a potential solve!
Call Common Letters
Wheel of Fortunehas its contestants shout out letters in an attempt to uncover the word or phrase hidden behind tiles. One of the most helpful tips is to call out common letters on your turn. This may seem obvious, but you’d be surprised just how often majorly common letters get overlooked. Some ofthe best to call are R, S, T, L, and N, as they help make up some of the most popular words in the English language, and are therefore a pretty safe first guess, even if they aren’t always guaranteed to be on the board.
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Thirdly, similarly to calling common letters, you also want to ensure that you’re buying vowels whenever possible asthey are essentialto understanding the puzzles. Sometimes a vowel can make or break a puzzleyou don’t want to solve without any vowels because what you’re thinking is an “E” could just as easily be an “A” and could cost you the round.As much as you may not want to dip into your accumulated fundsto buy vowels, there is always at least one vowel in every puzzle, so it’s always worth it to buy them.
Solve the Puzzle Carefully
Speaking of solving the puzzles, the fourth most critical (and common) mistake a contestant can make onWheel of Fortuneis solving a puzzle incorrectly.And not in the sense of getting the puzzle wrong, but simply reading it wrong.This simple mistake happens a lot in the category “Before & After”. The category takes two names, or phrases and connects them using a single word. For example, Wheel of Fortune and Fortune Cookie, the connective word being “Fortune”. Where contestants slip up is that they will often read these puzzles as one, for instance, “Wheel of Fortune Cookie”. Whereas it’s actually meant to be read exactly as it’s written: “Wheel of Fortune, Fortune Cookie.”
Other common mistakes are adding extra minor words such as “the” and “and” without thought. It’s these little mistakes that will quickly cost you a round in the game and allow your contestant to swoop in and steal the answer from you.
Don’t Solve If You Have No Money
If it comes around to your turn, and you happen to know the answer to the puzzle, make sure you take a quick look at your funds. This takes us to rule number five. It may be tempting to solve it as soon as you know, both because it’s exciting, and because you want to keep your opponents from guessing it first.But if you don’t have any money in your bank you’re actually in more trouble, by solving.This is because, in order to make it to the bonus round, you must have money in the bank. Solving the puzzle with no money may prevent your opponent from beating you, but it also robs you of the potential chance of going to thebonus round, and let’s be honest, that’s the most exciting part!
And finally, another pivotal piece of advice is to play the Express Wedge if you’re lucky enough to get one. There are lots of different wedges you can get on the board — including the dreaded Bankrupt — and one of them is the Express Wedge.The Express Wedge allows you to keep in control of the board without having to pass to your opponents.With it, you don’t have to spin the board, and can continuously call out letters for $1000 a piece (vowels are the same price). You get to continue your turn until you either solve the puzzle or call an incorrect letter, in which case you will go bankrupt.It’s a bit of a risk, but it’s one that you should take as it gives you complete control of the board for a brief time.Wheel of FortuneSeason 42 airs every weekday on ABC. You can also rewatch the show on YouTube TV in the U.S.
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