Searching for the answer to Wordle on December 29, 2024? Keep reading! This article provides essential hints, effective strategies, and ultimately reveals the answer. Today’s puzzle proved to be slightly more challenging for me—I managed to solve it in five attempts. Warning: Spoilers ahead for December 29, Wordle #1,289! Proceed if you’re interested in hints and the solution for today’s game.

Playing Wordle: A Quick Guide

Wordle can be accessed here on the New York Times site. Every day, a new puzzle is released at midnight in your local time zone.

Your gameplay begins with a guess of any five-letter word. The letters change color based on their accuracy: green indicates a correct letter in the correct spot, yellow signifies a correct letter in the wrong position, and gray shows that the letter is not part of the secret word. For additional insights, explore this comprehensive guide or another for advanced strategies. More details can be found at the end of this post, after the hints and solution.

Are There Any Uncommon Letters in Today’s Wordle?

When we refer to common letters, we mean those noted in the historic typesetter jargon, ETAOIN SHRDLU. (A little mnemonic tip: imagine it pronounced as “Edwin Shirdloo,” like an old friend.) Today features two letters from our mnemonic that are commonplace, with one being fairly frequent.

Need a Hint for Today’s Wordle?

#5.

Are There Repeated Letters in Today’s Wordle?

Yes, there is one letter that repeats in today’s puzzle.

Count the Vowels in Today’s Wordle

Today’s puzzle contains two vowels.

What’s the Starting Letter for Today’s Wordle?

The initial letter of today’s word is M.

What’s the Ending Letter for Today’s Wordle?

The word concludes with an O.

Reveal the Solution to Today’s Wordle

Here it is… the answer is MAMBO.

Steps Taken to Solve Today’s Puzzle

The initial guesses were RAISE and TOUCH, followed by BLOND, leading to my fourth guess being KABOB and finally landing on MAMBO.

Wordle 1,289 5/6

Yesterday’s Wordle Reveal

The previous day’s Wordle posed a greater challenge. The hint was “condemn,” and the solution comprised three frequent letters, one fairly common letter, and one less common letter.

The answer to yesterday’s Wordle was DECRY.

Understanding the Basics of Wordle

Wordle’s objective is simple: guess the hidden word of the day. Upon starting the game, players are greeted with a blank grid ready for their first five-letter word input.

As guesses are made, players will receive color-coded clues. Here’s a breakdown:

• Green: Correct letter, correctly placed. (Example: guessing PARTY while the word is PURSE will highlight P and R in green.)

• Yellow: Letter exists in the word but is in the wrong position. (Example: guess PARTY and the actual word is ROAST, highlighting R, A, and T in yellow.)

• Gray: Letter is absent from the solution. (If everything highlighted is gray after guessing PARTY, options like PURSE or ROAST are eliminated.)

Utilize this knowledge to continue guessing until the correct word is uncovered, with a limit of six guesses before it’s game over.

Optimal Starter Words for Wordle

The first guess is crucial! Ideal starter words often contain frequently used letters, which increases the likelihood of hitting yellow or green tiles for guidance. While no single word is considered the best, the New York Times’s Wordle analysis bot has recommended these words:

• CRANE

• TRACE

• SLANT

• CRATE

• CARTE

Additionally, an analysis by MIT identified that starting with these words will help eliminate the most options early on:

• SALET

• REAST

• TRACE

• CRATE

• SLATE

Other potential choices include ARISE or ROUND. While words like ADIEU and AUDIO can help introduce more vowels, starting with a focus on consonants might be beneficial, using selections like RENTS or CLAMP. Choose a method and monitor its effectiveness.

Winning at Wordle: Tips and Tricks

For those keen on improving their gameplay, various guides cover Wordle tactics worth reviewing. One in particular explores consonant strategies, while another highlights common letter usage. An advanced guide offers a three-pronged approach to maximize hints and increase winning chances swiftly.

The difference between successful players and those who struggle often lies in information gathering. For instance, if it’s known the word must end with -OUND, instead of guessing multiple times with MOUND, ROUND, SOUND, and HOUND, try consolidating consonants to guess MARSH. If H shows up as yellow, the target becomes clearer.

Lastly, it’s notable that the original Wordle featured around 2,300 words, but after the acquisition by NYT, the list of solutions is curated by an editor. Occasionally, these answers may include themes or whimsical words relevant to current events, like FEAST being featured during Thanksgiving.

Exploring Wordle Alternatives

If five-letter guessing games have captured your interest, consider trying some of the best Wordle alternatives based on their difficulty levels, such as:

• Wheeldle, which enables continuous puzzles

• Dordle and Quordle, both requiring players to tackle two or four puzzles simultaneously using the same guesses. There’s also Octordle, with eight puzzles, and Sedecordle, with sixteen.

• Waffle, which presents scrambled five-letter words in a grid for you to organize until solved.

• Absurdle, which alters the solution after each guess, while adhering to past feedback. The challenge is to isolate the last possible word until you make your final guess and win.

• Squabble lets players engage in real-time Wordle matches against others. Time matters here; take too long and you’ll take damage, with the last player standing emerging as the victor.

• Antiwordle presents a unique twist where the goal is to avoid guessing the solution of the day. Players must reuse any letters they guessed correctly, making longer guessing times beneficial.