Playing Wordle: A Quick Guide

Wordle can be found here on the New York Times site. Each day at midnight in your timezone, a new puzzle is featured.

To start, make a guess using a five-letter word. The color indicators will help you: letters highlighted in green are correct, yellow means the letter is part of the word but incorrectly placed, and gray indicates the letter is not in the word at all. For an in-depth look, check out our detailed guide. More insights are available at the end of this post, following the hints and solutions.

Ready to dive into the clues? Let’s get started!

Identifying Uncommon Letters

For this discussion, common letters are identified using the phrase ETAOIN SHRDLU. Remember it as “Edwin Shirdloo,” and consider him a familiar acquaintance.

Today’s puzzle features one very common letter, one moderately common, and three that are less frequently used.

Today’s Hint

Details are vague.

Double Letters in Today’s Wordle

There is one letter that repeats in today’s word.

Vowel Count in Today’s Wordle

Today’s puzzle includes one vowel and one “sometimes” vowel.

Starting Letter of Today’s Word

The word begins with the letter F.

Ending Letter of Today’s Word

It concludes with the letter Y.

Today’s Solution

Drumroll, please: the word is FUZZY.

My Approach to Today’s Puzzle

My journey began with guesses like RAISE and TOUCH, followed by BLAND, yielding just one letter. Next, I tried FRUMP to rule out more consonants, leading me to the final answer of FUZZY.

Wordle 1,350 5/6
⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛
⬛⬛🟨⬛⬛
⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛
🟩⬛🟨⬛⬛
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

Yesterday’s Wordle Solution

The puzzle from yesterday was simpler, with the hint being “a place to stay.” It featured four common letters along with one that is fairly common.

The answer was LODGE.

Understanding Wordle Basics

The goal of Wordle is to identify the day’s secret word. Upon opening the game, you’ll face an empty grid. Your first move is to type in any five-letter word.

The colors displayed will provide clues: Green indicates a correct letter in the right position; Yellow signifies a correct letter in the wrong position; Gray means that letter is not present in the solution at all.

• Green: Correct letter, correct place. (e.g., if you guess PARTY and the answer is PURSE, P and R will be green.)

• Yellow: Letter is in the word but misplaced. (e.g., guessing PARTY but the answer is ROAST means R, A and T will appear yellow.)

• Gray: Letter is not part of the solution word. (If PARTY is all gray, then the answer cannot be PURSE or ROAST.)

With this information, keep guessing different words until you identify the correct one within six attempts.

Optimal Starter Words for Wordle

Wondering which word to use for your first guess? The strongest starters usually include common letters to optimize the chances of attaining yellow and green indicators. (If your guesses return all gray letters, it can still provide valuable information to narrow down options.) While no single “best” starter exists, the New York Times’s Wordle analysis bot proposes trying these initial words:

• CRANE
• TRACE
• SLANT
• CRATE
• CARTE

On the other hand, an MIT study identified that starting with the following words eliminated the most potential answers in the first round:

• SALET
• REAST
• TRACE
• CRATE
• SLATE

Other great options include ARISE or ROUND. While words like ADIEU and AUDIO boost vowel exposure, starting with consonants, such as RENTS or CLAMP, could yield better results. Choose your initial word and see how your strategy unfolds.

Winning Strategies for Wordle

Numerous guides on Wordle strategy are available for dedicated players. This resource discusses maximizing the use of consonants, while this one emphasizes leveraging the most frequently used letters. In this advanced guide, a three-part approach is shared to help you uncover hints while enhancing the likelihood of a speedy win.

The key distinction between successful Wordle players and those who struggle lies in their ability to utilize guesses effectively to gather letter information. For instance, if you determine the word must end with -OUND, don’t waste guesses on MOUND, ROUND, or SOUND. Instead, combine your findings and aim for a different guess like MARSH. If an H turns yellow, you’re closer to the answer.

Keep in mind that the original version of Wordle used a list of around 2,300 possible words. However, following its acquisition by the NYT, the game now features an editor who curates the solutions, occasionally leading to slightly challenging words or themed answers, like FEAST during Thanksgiving. This variable may influence your approach.

Explore These Wordle Alternatives

If the thrill of five-letter guessing games excites you, consider these top Wordle alternatives, sorted by challenge level:

• Wheeldle: Play endless puzzles consecutively.

• Dordle and Quordle: Solve two or four puzzles simultaneously with the same guesses. Don’t forget Octordle for eight puzzles, and Sedecordle for sixteen.

• Waffle: Rearrange a grid of scrambled five-letter words to solve the puzzle.

• Absurdle: This variant changes its solution after each guess but sticks to the established feedback. Your challenge is to isolate the last possible word through strategic guessing.

• Squabble: Compete in real-time with others, where taking too long between guesses results in damage; the last player standing wins.

• Antiwordle: The aim is to avoid guessing the day’s solution. Correct guesses force you to use those letters again, making it advantageous to take longer.