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Thank you for taking my shrieking seriously enough for a considered response. This is calming.
However, you stated that, of a total of ~12000 words, ~2500 are not just more likely than the remaining ~9500; the ~2500 are the only solutions in the game. That would contradict the final statement on skill/swill.
snoops-
You're welcome! I'm assuming the partner (on whose knowledge we rest), being an avid word puzzler, will have heard of both skill and swill so both are likely to be the answer at some point in the next 6 years. But sdill (if that was a word for something like a Moldovan nose flute) would not. That may of course be wrong.
villa-ru
There was a NY Times article about it. IIRC there are ~12000 5 letter words and he got his partner to go through the ones she knew which was ~2500. Those 2500 were randomised to be the answers but the guesses can be any legit word. So the answer will always be reasonably common and there are loads of obscure words that never will be the final answer but are obviously still useful as guesses. But there is no reason skill should be more likely than swill or argon less likely than train. I think.