Playing Wordle: A Quick Guide

Wordle can be played right here on the New York Times site. Each day, a new puzzle is released at midnight, set to your local timezone.

To start off, guess a five-letter word. Letters will be highlighted in green if they are correctly positioned, in yellow if they belong in the word but are in the wrong spot, and in gray if they are not in today’s secret word at all. For additional insights, take a look at this guide and my strategy guide for advanced tactics. (Further details can be found at the end of this post, post-hints and answers.)

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

Are there Any Unique Letters in Today’s Wordle?

Common letters can be referenced using the traditional typesetters’ sequence ETAOIN SHRDLU. (It’s a handy mnemonic—think of it as a friendly name, “Edwin Shirdloo.”)

Today’s word contains four frequent letters, while the fifth letter is less common.

A Clue for Today’s Wordle?

It’s related to a gathering.

Does Today’s Wordle Feature Repeated Letters?

No letters are repeated in today’s answer.

Count the Vowels in Today’s Wordle

Three vowels can be found in today’s word.

Starting Letter of Today’s Wordle?

The word begins with the letter Q.

Ending Letter of Today’s Wordle?

The last letter of today’s word is A.

The Answer to Today’s Wordle

Drumroll, please! Today’s solution is QUOTA.

My Approach to Today’s Wordle

I began with RAISE and TOUCH before considering ABOUT, which led me to realize QUOTA was the only viable option left.

Wordle 1,379 5/6

Solution from Yesterday’s Wordle

Yesterday’s puzzle was more challenging. The hint was “shows regret,” with the answer comprising four common letters and one uncommon letter.

The answer from yesterday was SORRY.

Basic Wordle Concepts

The goal of Wordle is to identify the secret word for the day. On launching the game, an empty grid will greet you; your task is to make the first guess with any five-letter word.

Utilize the color reveals to gain insights about the word: Green indicates correct letters in their proper places. (For instance, if you guess PARTY and the word is PURSE, the letters P and R will both be green.)

• Yellow signifies the letter is present in the word but positioned incorrectly. (Using the PARTY example again, if the word is actually ROAST, the R, A, and T will show as yellow.)

• Gray signifies that the letter is absent from the solution. (If all guesses return gray after trying PARTY, the correct answer cannot include P, A, R, T, or Y.)

With this information, continue guessing additional words to arrive at the correct solution before exhausting your six attempts.

Optimal Starter Words for Wordle

Wondering about an effective first guess? Top starters typically include frequent letters to maximize chances of revealing yellow and green hints in subsequent guesses. While there isn’t a universally “best” starting word, the New York Times’ Wordle analysis bot recommends some of the following:

• CRANE

• TRACE

• SLANT

• CRATE

• CARTE

Additionally, an MIT analysis determined that starting with these words helps eliminate the most possibilities:

• SALET

• REAST

• TRACE

• CRATE

• SLATE

Other viable options include ARISE and ROUND. While words such as ADIEU and AUDIO may introduce more vowels, starting with consonants via selections like RENTS or CLAMP might yield better results. Choose your approach and track its effectiveness.

Winning Strategies for Wordle

For those seeking in-depth strategies, separate guides are available that delve into various approaches for mastering Wordle. Check out this guide for leveraging consonants and this one that emphasizes strategies with letters frequently appearing in solutions. Additionally, an advanced guide details a three-step approach designed to gather information efficiently while maximizing winning chances.

The distinguishing factor between successful and unsuccessful Wordle players is that the former utilize their guesses to glean insights about the letters involved. Rather than making repeated attempts with words that lead to red herrings like MOUND, ROUND, SOUND, and HOUND if it is known the word ends with -OUND, it is better to combine clues and try MARSH. If H shows up as yellow, you’re onto something.

It’s essential to note that while the initial game used a list of around 2,300 words for solutions, following its acquisition by the NYT, there is now an editor curating the solutions. This could mean encountering slightly obscure words or those tied to current events, such as FEAST during Thanksgiving. Watch for potential themes that could inform your guesses.

Exploring Wordle Alternatives

If the five-letter guessing genre has captured your interest, consider trying out some of the top alternatives to Wordle, categorized by difficulty:

• Wheeldle, which allows you to tackle one puzzle after another

• Dordle and Quordle, where you tackle two (Dordle) or four (Quordle) puzzles simultaneously using the same guesses. There’s also Octordle with eight puzzles, and Sedecordle, featuring a staggering sixteen.

• Waffle, showcasing multiple five-letter words scrambled in a grid; solve the puzzle by rearranging the letters.

• Absurdle, a game that changes the solution with each guess, while still providing feedback. Player strategies must coax it into a position where only one solution remains; that’s when you can guess to win.

• Squabble invites competition as players race against others with a timer; take care not to exceed your allotted time between guesses, or you’ll incur damage; the last player standing wins.

• Antiwordle, where players aim to Avoid guessing the day’s solution. Required to repeat any letters guessed correctly, this game rewards the increasing difficulty as one continues to guess.