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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
World
Martin Farrer

Saved: the Wordle clue that helped rescue 80-year-old woman from hostage ordeal

Wordle
Denyse Holt was unable to send her family her daily Wordle score because she was being held hostage Photograph: Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto/REX/Shutterstock

The wildly popular online puzzle Wordle has been credited with keeping people across the world sane amid the ravages of the pandemic. But now it has been hailed as a potential life saver, by providing the clue that helped rescue an 80-year-old woman from a 20-hour home invasion hostage ordeal.

Denyse Holt, a retired teacher, found herself locked in her basement in her home in Illinois after being woken up by a naked, knife-wielding intruder in the middle of the night.

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