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Python Python Basics (2015) Letter Game App Letter Game Introduction

Posted by Courtney Pope
Courtney Pope
Courses Plus Student 1,384 Points

Correct answers keep giving me a strike

import random words = [ 'apple', 'bananna', 'orange', 'pear', 'strawberry', 'coconut', 'melon' ]

while True: start = input("Press Enter/Return to start or enter q to Quit") if start.lower() == 'q': break secret_word = random.choice(words) bad_guesses = [] good_guesses = []

while len(bad_guesses) < 7 and len(good_guesses) != len(list(secret_word)): 
    for letter in secret_word:
        if letter in good_guesses:
                print(letter, end='')
        else:
            print('_', end='')


    print('')       
    print('Strikes {}/7'.format(len(bad_guesses)))
    print('')

    guess = input('Guess a letter: ').lower()

    if len(guess) != 1:
        print("You can only guess a single letter: ")
        continue
    elif guess in bad_guesses or guess in good_guesses:
        print("You've already guessed that letter!")
        continue 
    elif not guess.isalpha():
        print("You can only guess letters!! ")
        continue
    if guess in secret_word:
        good_guesses.append(guess)
    if len(good_guesses) == len(list(secret_word)):
        print("Yayyyyy!!!, You got it!!...The word was {} ".format(secret_word))
        break
    else:
        bad_guesses.append(guess)
else:
    print("You didnt get it, The secret word was {}".format(secret_word))
Alexander Davison
Alexander Davison
65,469 Points

What's the error your getting?

This might help a lot :)

Good luck, Alex

2 Answers

Kent Åsvang
Kent Åsvang
18,823 Points
Kent Åsvang
Kent Åsvang
18,823 Points

The last if-statement should be indented 4 spaces, since it's not - the else-statement beneath it is executing every round where len(good_guesses) != len(secret_word). When you indent said if-statement the else-statement gets connected with the second last if-statement and thus only execute when if guess != secret_word, giving the appropriate amount of strikes.

Despite my (perhaps) confusing explanation, I hope this explained to you the problem. Nonetheless, here is how your code should look (Check the comments to see exactly where: 

import random


words = [ 'apple', 'bananna', 'orange', 'pear', 'strawberry', 'coconut', 'melon' ]


while True:
    start = input("Press Enter/Return to start or enter q to Quit")
    if start.lower() == 'q':
        break
    secret_word = random.choice(words)
    bad_guesses = []
    good_guesses = []


    while len(bad_guesses) < 7 and len(good_guesses) != len(list(secret_word)):
        for letter in secret_word:
            if letter in good_guesses:
                print(letter, end='')
            else:
                print('_', end='')


        print('')
        print('Strikes {}/7'.format(len(bad_guesses)))
        print('')


        guess = input('Guess a letter: ').lower()


        if len(guess) != 1:
            print("You can only guess a single letter: ")
            continue

        elif guess in bad_guesses or guess in good_guesses:
            print("You've already guessed that letter!")
            continue

        elif not guess.isalpha():
            print("You can only guess letters!! ")
            continue

        if guess in secret_word:
            good_guesses.append(guess)

            # The if-block below wasn't indented. So whenever the length of good_guesses wasn't the same as 
            # the length of secret_word, the else-block beneath it executed. 
            if len(good_guesses) == len(list(secret_word)):
                print("Yayyyyy!!!, You got it!!...The word was {} ".format(secret_word))
                break
        # This block executed every len(good_guesses) != len(secret_word)
        else:
            bad_guesses.append(guess)

    else:
        print("You didnt get it, The secret word was {}".format(secret_word))

I hope this helped. Good luck.

Jeff Mercuri
Jeff Mercuri
1,086 Points
Jeff Mercuri
Jeff Mercuri
1,086 Points

I'm not experienced enough to know what this means but I noticed a colon in your code that isn't in mine (Kenneth's).

yours: if len(guess) != 1: print("You can only guess a single letter: ")

mine (Kenneth's): if len(guess) != 1: print("You can only guess a single letter!") continue