For those on the hunt for the Wordle solution on January 13, 2025, you’re in the right place. This post will provide useful hints, handy tips, and effective strategies, culminating in today’s answer. The challenge presented today is moderately difficult; I managed to solve it in four attempts. Warning: Spoilers for Wordle #1,304 are ahead! If you’re ready for hints (followed by the answer) for today’s Wordle, keep scrolling.

Playing Wordle

The Wordle game is hosted on the New York Times website. A brand-new puzzle appears daily at midnight, according to your local time.

Your journey begins with a five-letter guess. The letters will change color based on their correctness: green signifies a correct letter in the correct spot, yellow indicates a correct letter in the wrong spot, and gray means the letter does not feature in the day’s solution. For a more in-depth explanation, refer to this detailed guide and this advanced strategy guide. Further information can be found towards the end of this article after hints and answers.

Are you ready for some clues? Let’s get started!

Are there any unique letters in today’s Wordle?

Common letters are defined by the legacy typesetter phrase ETAOIN SHRDLU. (Keep this in mind! You can remember it as “Edwin Shirdloo”—an imaginary friend of yours!) Today’s word contains three letters from this mnemonic: one quite common and another moderately so.

Can you provide a clue for today’s Wordle?

It is a noun that refers to an outerwear item.

Any repeated or double letters in today’s Wordle?

No letters are repeated in this puzzle.

How many vowels are there in today’s Wordle?

Today’s word comprises two vowels.

What is the initial letter of today’s Wordle?

The word begins with the letter C.

What letter does today’s Wordle conclude with?

The word ends with K.

What is today’s Wordle solution?

Today’s secret word is CLOAK.

How the Wordle puzzle was solved

Commencing with RAISE and TOUCH, I next tried BLAND. CLOAK emerged as the only fitting word.

Wordle 1,304 4/6

⬛🟨⬛⬛⬛  
⬛🟨⬛🟨⬛  
⬛🟩🟨⬛⬛  
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

Answer to Yesterday’s Wordle

Yesterday’s puzzle posed a moderate challenge. The clue was “may refer to a score or monetary value,” and it included all common letters. The answer was TOTAL.

Understanding Wordle Basics

The objective is to deduce the day’s hidden word. Upon launching the game, players encounter an empty grid. Your first move is to enter any five-letter word.

The outcome of your guesses reveals colored hints: Green indicates a correct letter in the correct position, whereas Yellow means that the letter is in the word, but not where you placed it. Gray means the letter is absent from the word.

• To elaborate, if you guess PARTY, and the day’s word is PURSE, the P and R will turn green.

• If PARTY was guessed and the actual word is ROAST, R, A, and T will all turn yellow.

• If everything turns gray after guessing PARTY, the answer cannot be PURSE or ROAST.

With this knowledge, attempt further guesses, striving to unveil the secret word before your six attempts run out.

Optimal Starting Words for Wordle

What should you choose as your first guess? Ideal starter words usually include commonly found letters, increasing the chances of revealing yellow and green hints. If all letters turn gray with common words, it still offers useful information to eliminate options. While there is no ultimate “best” starting word, the New York Times’s Wordle analysis bot recommends the following:

• CRANE

• TRACE

• SLANT

• CRATE

• CARTE

In addition, MIT research suggests that starting with one of the following will help eliminate the most possibilities in the first guess:

• SALET

• REAST

• TRACE

• CRATE

• SLATE

Other notable choices may be ARISE or ROUND. While words like ADIEU or AUDIO utilize more vowels, starting with consonants may yield better results. Choose a strategy that works for you and observe the outcomes.

Winning Strategies for Wordle

Several strategies for mastering Wordle could be beneficial. One guide discusses leveraging consonants effectively, while another examines using the most frequent letters. For an advanced approach, this guide offers a three-pronged strategy to maximize hints while enhancing your chances of a quick win.

Successful players typically distinguish themselves by using their guesses to uncover which letters are present in the word. For instance, if a word must end in -OUND, concentrate your remaining guesses effectively instead of trying multiple similar options. If H lights up yellow, you gain valuable insight.

It’s worth noting that the original version of Wordle featured around 2,300 solution words. However, post-acquisition by the NYT, an editor now curates the solutions, sometimes incorporating unique or topical words, like FEAST during Thanksgiving.

Alternatives to Wordle

If the enjoyment of five-letter guessing games hasn’t waned, a few exciting alternatives await, classified by difficulty:

• Wheeldle allows continuous play through several puzzles.

• Dordle and Quordle challenge you to solve two or four puzzles simultaneously using the same guesses, with other versions like Octordle for eight puzzles and Sedecordle for 16.

• Waffle presents several five-letter words in a mixed grid, solved by rearranging letters.

• Absurdle modifies the answer after every guess while remaining consistent with past feedback, requiring strategic gameplay to narrow down to one possible word.

• Squabble pits you against others in a timed Wordle showdown, penalizing delays between guesses with damage; last player standing wins.

• Antiwordle has a unique twist, where you strive not to guess the day’s answer. If you accidentally guess a correct letter, you must include it in future attempts, rewarding patience and strategy.