You are correct on both accounts! The rules are a bit tricky to get at first glance. :-)
The other note worth clarifying:
- Say your enemy will do: 2 ⚔️ in 5 🔠
- You submit a 4 letter word
- Your enemy will NOT attack, but they will update to: 2 ⚔️ in 1 🔠
So, the those letter counts are sort of like a count down.
Also, if you kill an enemy before it’s countdown goes off, or on the word its countdown goes off, they should not damage you.