Searching for the Wordle answer from April 21, 2025? You’ve come to the right place! This post will provide hints, strategies, and ultimately reveal the solution. The challenge today is a bit more complex; it took me five attempts to solve. Warning: Spoilers for Wordle #1,402 ahead! If you’d like some clues (and then the answer) for today’s Wordle, keep reading.

Understanding How to Play Wordle

Wordle can be played on the New York Times website. Each new puzzle becomes available daily at midnight in your local time zone.

Your first step is to guess a five-letter word. The colors will indicate how close your guess is: letters will turn green if they are correct, yellow if the right letter is in the wrong position, and gray if the letter isn’t in the puzzle at all. For more insights, check out our comprehensive guide here, along with my advanced strategies here. (More information is available at the end of this post, just after the hints and solutions.)

Are you ready for some hints? Let’s dive in!

Does Today’s Wordle Feature Uncommon Letters?

Common letters can be identified by the famous typesetters’ mnemonic, ETAOIN SHRDLU. (Memorize this! Pronounce it “Edwin Shirdloo,” as if he were an acquaintance.)

Nearly all letters in today’s word are among the common ones, with only one letter being somewhat less frequent, albeit still familiar.

Need a Hint for Today’s Wordle?

A whole bunch at once.

Does Today’s Wordle Contain Repeated Letters?

Today’s puzzle has no letters that repeat.

Count the Vowels in Today’s Wordle

The solution contains two vowels.

What is the Initial Letter of Today’s Wordle?

Today’s word starts with the letter S.

What is the Final Letter of Today’s Wordle?

The word concludes with the letter E.

What is Today’s Wordle Solution?

Drumroll, please… Today’s answer is SPATE.

My Approach to Solving Today’s Wordle

The first guesses were RAISE and NOTCH, followed by KLANG to narrow down potential fifth letters. Ultimately, STATE was my next guess, leading me to SPATE as the only viable answer.

Wordle 1,402 5/6

⬛🟨⬛🟨🟩
⬛⬛🟨⬛⬛
⬛⬛🟩⬛⬛
🟩⬛🟩🟩🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

Answer for Yesterday’s Wordle

Yesterday’s puzzle posed a medium difficulty level. The clue was “a cover,” and the solution featured four common letters alongside one that was slightly less frequent.

The answer was PATCH.

Basic Principles of Wordle

The goal of Wordle is to identify the secret word of the day. Upon launching the game, a blank grid awaits you. Your initial move is critical: type in any five-letter word.

The feedback will provide hints about your guess: Green indicates a correct letter in the right position (e.g., guessing PARTY when the answer is PURSE would show P and R in green), while Yellow signals that a correct letter is in the word but in the wrong spot (e.g., guessing PARTY when the answer is ROAST would highlight R, A, and T in yellow). Gray signifies that the letter is absent in the solution altogether (if PARTY results in all gray tiles, it cannot be PURSE or ROAST).

With that knowledge, continue guessing words until the correct answer is uncovered, limited to six attempts before it’s game over.

Optimal Starting Words for Wordle

Which word should be your first guess? The most effective options generally contain common letters, maximizing the likelihood of obtaining yellow and green tiles that guide your next steps. While there isn’t a single “best” choice, the New York Times’s Wordle analysis bot suggests trying starters such as:

• CRANE
• TRACE
• SLANT
• CRATE
• CARTE

On another front, an analysis from MIT showed that beginning with one of these words eliminates the most possibilities right from the start:

• SALET
• REAST
• TRACE
• CRATE
• SLATE

Other effective choices could be ARISE or ROUND. Although words like ADIEU and AUDIO incorporate more vowels, some argue that initial guesses should prioritize consonants, using words such as RENTS or CLAMP. Decide on your strategy and see how it unfolds.

Strategies for Success in Wordle

If you’re serious about mastering Wordle, a few strategy guides can enhance your approach. This guide discusses leveraging consonants effectively, while another tip emphasizes the use of the most common letters. In this advanced guide, a three-pronged strategy for maximizing your hints and chances of rapid success is outlined.

The distinguishing factor between Wordle victors and those who struggle often lies in the approach to gathering information from the guesses. If you establish that the word must conclude with -OUND, don’t squander guesses on MOUND, ROUND, SOUND, and HOUND; instead, amalgamate those consonants and guess MARSH. If H illuminates in yellow, you’ve gained insight into the solution.

It’s worth noting that while original Wordle utilized a list of around 2,300 words, since being acquired by the NYT, the game’s solutions are now curated by an editor, which can include trickier or topical words—an example being FEAST around Thanksgiving. Remember, a thematic element may be present.

Explore Wordle Alternatives

If you crave more five-letter guessing challenges, consider trying out the top Wordle alternatives, categorized by difficulty:

• Wheeldle, which allows you to tackle puzzles consecutively
• Dordle and Quordle invite you to solve two (Dordle) or four (Quordle) puzzles simultaneously, using the same guesses. For a real challenge, try Octordle with eight puzzles or Sedecordle with 16!
• Waffle, where you can rearrange letters within several five-letter words in a grid until you complete the puzzle.
• Absurdle changes its answer with each guess but adheres to previous feedback; you’ll need to tactically corner it until just one option remains for you to win.
• Squabble lets you go head-to-head against others in Wordle, all under the pressure of a ticking timer—take too long, and you lose your chance!
• Antiwordle requires you to avoid guessing the correct answer, forcing you to reuse any letters you accidentally guess correctly—thus, the longer it takes, the better your game performance.