If you’re on the hunt for the Wordle answer for today, December 31, 2024, continue reading! Here, you’ll find various hints, useful strategies, and ultimately the answer itself. The challenge today proved to be a bit tougher; it took me five guesses to figure it out. Be warned that spoilers for Wordle #1,291 follow below! Keep scrolling for hints and the solution to today’s puzzle.

Playing Wordle: A Quick Guide

Wordle can be found here on the New York Times website. Each day at midnight, a new puzzle is unveiled for players to tackle.

To get started, guess a five-letter word. Based on your guess, letters will change colors: green for correct letters in the right position, yellow for misplaced correct letters, and gray for letters that are not in the target word at all. For further insights, refer to our comprehensive Wordle guide and my advanced strategy guide. More information can be found at the end of this post, after the hints and answers.

Ready for some clues? Let’s delve in!

Are there any uncommon letters in today’s Wordle?

Uncommon letters can be identified using the classic typesetter phrase ETAOIN SHRDLU. Consider memorizing this as a handy reference! Out of today’s letters, most are quite common, with just one being a bit unusual, though it’s still frequently used.

Need a hint for today’s Wordle?

Think of a type of primate.

Does today’s Wordle feature any repeated letters?

There are no letters that repeat in today’s solution.

Count the vowels in today’s Wordle.

There are two vowels present in the word.

What letter begins today’s Wordle?

Today’s answer commences with the letter L.

What letter does today’s Wordle conclude with?

The word ends with R.

Today’s Wordle solution revealed

Are you ready? The answer is LEMUR.

My approach to solving today’s Wordle

The journey began with the guesses RAISE and TOUCH, followed by GLAND and RULER, ultimately leading me to the solution: LEMUR.

Wordle 1,291 5/6

🟨⬛⬛⬛🟨
⬛⬛🟨⬛⬛
⬛🟨⬛⬛⬛
⬛🟨🟨🟨🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

Answer to Yesterday’s Wordle

Yesterday’s challenge was more straightforward. The hint was “can be blank or intense,” and the answer featured five commonly used letters.

The solution to yesterday’s Wordle was STARE.

Wordle Basics Explained

The essence of Wordle is to deduce the hidden word of the day. When starting the game, you’ll encounter a blank grid. It begins with your input—any five-letter word.

Following your guess, use the resulting colors for clues: Green indicates a correct letter, positioned accurately. For instance, if you enter PARTY and the actual word is PURSE, P and R will be highlighted in green.

• Yellow signifies that the letter is in the word but in the wrong position. For example, guessing PARTY when the word is ROAST will highlight R, A, and T in yellow.

• Gray indicates the letter does not exist in the answer. If all letters are gray after guessing PARTY, then the word cannot be PURSE or ROAST.

Using this information, continue guessing until you find the correct word within six attempts before the game concludes.

Top Starter Words for Wordle

What should be your first guess? A solid starting word typically comprises common letters, boosting your chances of hitting yellow or green squares that guide further guesses. There isn’t a definitive “best” starting word; however, the New York Times’s Wordle analysis bot recommends starting with one of these words:

• CRANE

• TRACE

• SLANT

• CRATE

• CARTE

Conversely, an analysis from MIT indicated that starting with these words will help eliminate the most alternatives:

• SALET

• REAST

• TRACE

• CRATE

• SLATE

Other respectable choices include ARISE or ROUND. Although words like ADIEU and AUDIO are great for introducing more vowels, a consonant-heavy starter like RENTS or CLAMP might also be advantageous. Choose your method and assess the results.

Winning Strategies for Wordle

For players keen on enhancing their skills, several strategy guides are available for Wordle. One such guide emphasizes using consonants effectively, while another focuses on frequent letters. An advanced guide outlines a strategic three-pronged approach aimed at maximizing winning potential efficiently.

A key differentiator between successful and unsuccessful players lies in the approach to gathering information through guesses. If you discern that a word ends with -OUND, don’t waste guesses on MOUND, ROUND, SOUND, and HOUND. Instead, mix up the consonants and try MARS for example; if H lights up in yellow, you’ll gain valuable insight.

Finally, note that the original Wordle utilized a curated list of approximately 2,300 solution words, but post-acquisition by the NYT, the game now has an editor managing the word selections. Occasionally, this results in the inclusion of more obscure words or event-themed solutions, such as FEAST during Thanksgiving. Hence, be aware that themes may arise.

Alternatives to Wordle

If you’re eager for more five-letter guessing games, explore the top Wordle alternatives, categorized by difficulty:

• Wheeldle, allowing for consecutive puzzles

• Dordle and Quordle, which require playing two (Dordle) or four (Quordle) puzzles at once, using the same guesses. Additional variants include Octordle for eight puzzles and Sedecordle for sixteen.

• Waffle, where multiple five-letter words are scrambled in a grid, and you rearrange them to find the solution.

• Absurdle, which changes the solution with each guess, but must remain consistent with previous feedback. Your challenge is to deduce the only remaining word.

• Squabble, where you compete against others in a timed format. Take too long between guesses and incur damage; the last player standing wins.

• Antiwordle, where your goal is not to guess the day’s solution. You must reuse any correct guesses, meaning longer struggles indicate better performance in the game.