diff --git a/src/App.tsx b/src/App.tsx
index c850403..ba1045e 100644
--- a/src/App.tsx
+++ b/src/App.tsx
@@ -1,15 +1,16 @@
 import { useState, useEffect } from "react";
+import { Alert } from "./components/alerts/Alert";
 import { Grid } from "./components/grid/Grid";
 import { Keyboard } from "./components/keyboard/Keyboard";
 import { WinModal } from "./components/win-modal/WinModal";
-import { getGuessStatuses } from "./lib/statuses";
-import { solution, isWordInWordList, isWinningWord } from "./lib/words";
+import { isWordInWordList, isWinningWord } from "./lib/words";
 
 function App() {
   const [guesses, setGuesses] = useState<string[]>([]);
   const [currentGuess, setCurrentGuess] = useState("");
   const [isGameWon, setIsGameWon] = useState(false);
   const [isWinModalOpen, setIsWinModalOpen] = useState(false);
+  const [isWordNotFoundAlertOpen, setIsWordNotFoundAlertOpen] = useState(false);
 
   useEffect(() => {
     if (isGameWon) {
@@ -29,8 +30,10 @@ function App() {
 
   const onEnter = () => {
     if (!isWordInWordList(currentGuess)) {
-      return console.error("not in word list");
-      // TODO add messaging for user
+      setIsWordNotFoundAlertOpen(true);
+      setTimeout(() => {
+        setIsWordNotFoundAlertOpen(false);
+      }, 2000);
     }
     if (currentGuess.length === 5 && guesses.length < 6 && !isGameWon) {
       if (isWinningWord(currentGuess)) {
@@ -42,7 +45,8 @@ function App() {
   };
 
   return (
-    <div>
+    <div className="py-8 max-w-7xl mx-auto sm:px-6 lg:px-8">
+      <Alert message="Word not found" isOpen={isWordNotFoundAlertOpen} />
       <Grid guesses={guesses} currentGuess={currentGuess} />
       <Keyboard
         onChar={onChar}
diff --git a/src/components/alerts/Alert.tsx b/src/components/alerts/Alert.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..baa4e86
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/components/alerts/Alert.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
+import { Fragment } from "react";
+import { Transition } from "@headlessui/react";
+
+type Props = {
+  isOpen: boolean;
+  message: string;
+};
+
+export const Alert = ({ isOpen, message }: Props) => {
+  return (
+    <Transition
+      show={isOpen}
+      as={Fragment}
+      enter="ease-out duration-300 transition"
+      enterFrom="opacity-0"
+      enterTo="opacity-100"
+      leave="transition ease-in duration-100"
+      leaveFrom="opacity-100"
+      leaveTo="opacity-0"
+    >
+      <div className="absolute top-2.5 left-1/2 transform -translate-x-1/2 max-w-sm w-full bg-rose-200 shadow-lg rounded-lg pointer-events-auto ring-1 ring-black ring-opacity-5 overflow-hidden">
+        <div className="p-4">
+          <p className="text-sm text-center font-medium text-gray-900">
+            {message}
+          </p>
+        </div>
+      </div>
+    </Transition>
+  );
+};
diff --git a/src/components/grid/Grid.tsx b/src/components/grid/Grid.tsx
index 15f9fc4..b6f5832 100644
--- a/src/components/grid/Grid.tsx
+++ b/src/components/grid/Grid.tsx
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ export const Grid = ({ guesses, currentGuess }: Props) => {
     guesses.length < 5 ? Array.from(Array(5 - guesses.length)) : [];
 
   return (
-    <>
+    <div className="pb-6">
       {guesses.map((guess, i) => (
         <CompletedRow key={i} guess={guess} />
       ))}
@@ -20,6 +20,6 @@ export const Grid = ({ guesses, currentGuess }: Props) => {
       {empties.map((_, i) => (
         <EmptyRow key={i} />
       ))}
-    </>
+    </div>
   );
 };
diff --git a/src/lib/statuses.ts b/src/lib/statuses.ts
index 3665ff7..d784a05 100644
--- a/src/lib/statuses.ts
+++ b/src/lib/statuses.ts
@@ -59,21 +59,27 @@ export const getStatuses = (
 
 export const getGuessStatuses = (guess: string): CharStatus[] => {
   const splitSolution = solution.split("");
-  const solutionCharsTaken = splitSolution.map((x) => false);
+  const splitGuess = guess.split("");
 
-  const statuses: CharStatus[] = [];
+  const solutionCharsTaken = splitSolution.map((_) => false);
 
-  guess.split("").forEach((letter, i) => {
-    // handle the correct case
+  const statuses: CharStatus[] = Array.from(Array(guess.length));
+
+  // handle all correct cases first
+  splitGuess.forEach((letter, i) => {
     if (letter === splitSolution[i]) {
-      statuses.push("correct");
+      statuses[i] = "correct";
       solutionCharsTaken[i] = true;
       return;
     }
+  });
+
+  splitGuess.forEach((letter, i) => {
+    if (statuses[i]) return;
 
-    // handles the absent case
     if (!splitSolution.includes(letter)) {
-      statuses.push("absent");
+      // handles the absent case
+      statuses[i] = "absent";
       return;
     }
 
@@ -81,12 +87,13 @@ export const getGuessStatuses = (guess: string): CharStatus[] => {
     const indexOfPresentChar = splitSolution.findIndex(
       (x, index) => x === letter && !solutionCharsTaken[index]
     );
+
     if (indexOfPresentChar > -1) {
-      statuses.push("present");
+      statuses[i] = "present";
       solutionCharsTaken[indexOfPresentChar] = true;
       return;
     } else {
-      statuses.push("absent");
+      statuses[i] = "absent";
       return;
     }
   });