Windows 11 update coming today will finally persuade me to upgrade – but not because of Copilot

Windows 11’s next big update – not the annual one for 2023, mind, that comes later – is rolling out today, and there’s some buzz on the rumor mill about what will be included with this upgrade.

PhantomOfEarth, a regular leaker on X (formerly Twitter) with their ear to the ground on all things Windows, pointed out what else is coming with the September 26 update (later today).

See more

Of course, it’s already known that the star of the show is set to be the Copilot AI. However, as tweeted, there’s another big piece of the jigsaw – at least for me, and a good few other folks – coming in the form of the option to never combine on the taskbar.

That’s the choice for the taskbar that you get with Windows 10 to tell the operating system not to stack up (combine) windows of the same application. (So, for example, if you have multiple browser windows open, they won’t all be lumped into the same entry on the taskbar, stacked up – with never combine, they remain separate icons on the bar).

PhantomOfEarth also clarified that another useful trick is coming for the taskbar, namely the ability to right-click on an app on the bar and end the task right there. Oh, and also the feature to hide the time and date from the taskbar should you wish.

And the new volume mixer, which offers fresh functionality including adjusting the volume of programs that are running on a per-app basis, is also set to roll out with the September 26 update later today.


Analysis: A winning never-combination

Of course, the centerpiece for this update – which is technically Moment 4 for Windows 11 22H2, with the 23H2 update to come later in the year, in Q4 – is undoubtedly Copilot. The introduction of the AI assistant to Windows 11 is, of course, a huge move, and one which may work out better than I anticipate. (I still feel it’s jumping the gun a little, but I’m ready – and happy – to be proven wrong).

For me, though, I’ve been holding back on upgrading to Windows 11 because of the lack of that feature to keep apps on the taskbar separate. That might sound a bit petty, but I have a workflow within Windows, and it involves never combining on the taskbar, and having that option stripped away is just too annoying, and jarring, for my fundamental way of working with the OS.

I couldn’t really believe it when Microsoft removed this choice with Windows 11 – apparently fiddly bits deep within the interface meant it wasn’t a simple implementation for the newer OS, or that’s what the software giant told us.

So, I’ve refrained from upgrading, until now – but with this new feature in place, I’ll be hitting the upgrade button straight away, with a caveat though. That being I’ll fire up the upgrade on my Surface (second PC) first, before my main desktop rig. But the latter will come soon enough (unless I find other things to hate about Windows 11, when I actually get into using it properly – perish the thought, naturally).

Anyway, it’s good to see that there’s a lot of stuff imminent for Windows 11, even if that does leave me scratching my head a bit as to what’s left for the 23H2 update, which at this point feels more minor than this ‘Moment’ (supposedly smaller than annual) upgrade.

So, that’s all a little confusing, but hey – I’m not going to argue about getting super-important features quicker, that’s for sure (though I wouldn’t say never combine has been exactly ‘quick’ off the mark, of course).

You might also like

TechRadar – All the latest technology news

Read More

Quordle today – hints and answers for Tuesday, June 20 (game #512)

It's time for your daily dose of Quordle hints, plus the answers for both the main game and the Daily Sequence spin off. 

Quordle is the only one of the many Wordle clones that I'm still playing now, around 18 months after the daily-word-game craze hit the internet, and with good reason: it's good fun, but also difficult.

What's more, its makers (now the online dictionary Merriam-Webster) are also keeping it fresh in the form of a new variant called the Daily Sequence, which sees you complete four puzzles consecutively, rather than concurrently. 

But Quordle is tough, so if you already find yourself searching for Wordle hints, you'll probably need some for this game too. 

I'm a Quordle and Wordle fanatic who's been playing since December 2021, so I can definitely help you solve Quordle today and improve your game for tomorrow. Read on for my Quordle hints to game #512 and the answers to the main game and Daily Sequence. 

SPOILER WARNING: Information about Quordle today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

Quordle today (game #512) – hint #1 – Vowels

How many different vowels are in Quordle today?

The number of different vowels in Quordle today is 4*.

* Note that by vowel we mean the five standard vowels (A, E, I, O, U), not Y (which is sometimes counted as a vowel too). 

Quordle today (game #512) – hint #2 – total vowels

What is the total number of vowels in Quordle today?

The total number of vowels across today’s Quordle answers is 7.

Quordle today (game #512) – hint #3 – repeated letters

Do any of today’s Quordle answers contain repeated letters?

The number of Quordle answers containing a repeated letter today is 1.

Quordle today (game #512) – hint #4 – total letters

How many different letters are used in Quordle today?

The total number of different letters used in Quordle today is 14.

Quordle today (game #512) – hint #5 – uncommon letters

Do the letters Q, Z, X or J appear in Quordle today?

• No. None of Q, Z, X or J appear among today’s Quordle answers.

Quordle today (game #512) – hint #6 – starting letters (1)

Do any of today’s Quordle puzzles start with the same letter?

The number of today’s Quordle answers starting with the same letter is 0.

If you just want to know the answers at this stage, simply scroll down. If you're not ready yet then here's one more clue to make things a lot easier:

Quordle today (game #512) – hint #7 – starting letters (2)

What letters do today’s Quordle answers start with?

• D

• B

• F

• C

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

Quordle today (game #512) – the answers

Quordle answers for game 512 on a yellow background

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #512, are…

  • DUVET
  • BLAST
  • FILMY
  • CEASE

How did you do today? Send me an email and let me know.


Daily Sequence today (game #512) – the answers

Quordle daily sequence answers for game 512 on a yellow background

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #512, are…

  • SEVER
  • TREAT
  • RERUN
  • SUPER

Quordle answers: The past 20

  • Quordle #511, Monday 19 June: HORDE, LOSER, GUSTO, PRONE
  • Quordle #510, Sunday 18 June: SHORN, FRIAR, THREE, UNTIE
  • Quordle #509, Saturday 17 June: JUROR, BUSED, SAPPY, VYING
  • Quordle #508, Friday 16 June: PASTA, RABID, UNFIT, CURLY
  • Quordle #507, Thursday 15 June: COBRA, CORNY, MINCE, CHILI
  • Quordle #506, Wednesday 14 June: LIBEL, SAVVY, VAULT, TROLL
  • Quordle #505, Tuesday 13 June: LOWLY, CORAL, PLANK, AMISS
  • Quordle #504, Monday 12 June: STAMP, BONEY, TRACE, CLOVE
  • Quordle #503, Sunday 11 June: QUACK, SCALP, DRIER, FOLLY
  • Quordle #502, Saturday 10 June: WRUNG, TROLL, TAKER, ELATE
  • Quordle #501, Friday 9 June: HAZEL, REACT, SPOKE, CHART
  • Quordle #500, Thursday 8 June: TRAWL, CRUDE, BRAVE, FURRY
  • Quordle #499, Wednesday 7 June: QUELL, GUISE, UNDUE, PALER
  • Quordle #498, Tuesday 6 June: BRICK, TIGHT, SHOWY, ARDOR
  • Quordle #497, Monday 5 June: STUNG, SHAPE, QUAIL, BLURT
  • Quordle #496, Sunday 4 June: GUILT, BIRTH, QUOTH, EVADE
  • Quordle #495, Saturday 3 June: BOOZE, ASKEW, REUSE, PAYEE
  • Quordle #494, Friday 2 June: FLYER, CHIME, VALID, LUMEN
  • Quordle #493, Thursday 1 June: BLAST, SKULL, VAUNT, LIEGE
  • Quordle #492, Wednesday 31 May: APRON, UNDER, ALIKE, FRUIT
  • Quordle #491, Tuesday 30 May: CADET, RIPEN, BREAD, CREED
  • Quordle #490, Monday 29 May: ANNOY, ELECT, STALE, TURBO

Quordle FAQs: Everything you need to know

What is Quordle?

Where Wordle challenges you to guess a new five-letter word each day, Quordle presents you with four puzzles to solve. And rather than complete them in turn, you do so simultaneously. You get nine guesses, rather than the six for Wordle, but the rules are otherwise very similar. 

It’s played online via the Quordle website and you can also get to it via the Merriam-Webster site, after the dictionary purchased Quordle last year

As with Wordle, the answers are the same for every player each day, meaning that you’re competing against the rest of the world. And also as with Wordle, the puzzle resets at midnight so you have a fresh challenge each day.

The website also includes a practice mode – which I definitely recommend using before attempting the game proper! – and there are daily stats including a streak count. You also get Quordle Achievements – specific badges for winning a game in a certain number of turns, playing lots of times, or guessing particularly hard words.

Oh, and it’s difficult. Really difficult.

What are the Quordle rules?

The rules of Quordle are almost identical to those of Wordle.

1. Letters that are in the answer and in the right place turn green.

2. Letters that are in the answer but in the wrong place turn yellow. 

3. Letters that are not in the answer turn gray…

4. …BUT the word you guess appears in all quadrants of the puzzle at the same time, so an A could turn green in one square, yellow in another and gray in the final two. 

5. Answers are never plural.

6. Letters can appear more than once. So if your guess includes two of one letter, they may both turn yellow, both turn green, or one could be yellow and the other green.

7. Each guess must be a valid word in Quordle’s dictionary. You can’t guess ABCDE, for instance.

8. You do not have to include correct letters in subsequent guesses and there is no equivalent of Wordle’s Hard mode.

9. You have nine guesses to find the Quordle answers.

10. You must complete the daily Quordle before midnight in your timezone.

What is a good Quordle strategy?

Quordle needs to be approached in a different way to Wordle. With four puzzles to solve in nine guesses, you can’t blindly throw letters at it and expect to win – you’ll stand a far better chance if you think strategically.

That’s the case in Wordle too, of course, but it’s even more important in Quordle.

There are two key things to remember. 

1. Use several starting words

Firstly, you won’t want just a single starting word, but almost certainly two or three starting words. 

The first of these should probably be one of the best Wordle starting words, because the same things that make them work well will apply here too. But after that, you should select another word or possibly two that use up lots more of the most common consonants and that include any remaining vowels.

For instance, I currently use STARE > DOILY > PUNCH. Between them, these three words use 15 of the 26 letters in the alphabet including all five vowels, Y, and nine of the most common consonants (S, T, R, D, L, P, N, C and H). There are plenty of other options – you might want to get an M, B, F or G in there instead of the H, maybe – but something like that should do the trick.

If all goes well, that will give you a good lead on what one or sometimes two of the answers might be. If not, well good luck!

2. Narrow things down

Secondly, if you’re faced with a word where the answer might easily be one of several options – for instance -ATCH, where it could be MATCH, BATCH, LATCH, CATCH, WATCH, HATCH or PATCH – you’ll definitely want to guess a word that would narrow down those options. 

In Wordle, you can instead try several of those in succession and hope one is right, assuming you have enough guesses left. It’s risky, but will sometimes work. Plus, it’s the only option in Hard mode. But in Quordle, this will almost certainly result in a failure – you simply don’t have enough guesses.

In the scenario above, CLAMP would be a great guess, as it could point the way to four of the seven words in one go.

TechRadar – All the latest technology news

Read More

Quordle today – hints and answers for Monday, June 19 (game #511)

It's time for your daily dose of Quordle hints, plus the answers for both the main game and the Daily Sequence spin off. 

Quordle is the only one of the many Wordle clones that I'm still playing now, around 18 months after the daily-word-game craze hit the internet, and with good reason: it's good fun, but also difficult.

What's more, its makers (now the online dictionary Merriam-Webster) are also keeping it fresh in the form of a new variant called the Daily Sequence, which sees you complete four puzzles consecutively, rather than concurrently. 

But Quordle is tough, so if you already find yourself searching for Wordle hints, you'll probably need some for this game too. 

I'm a Quordle and Wordle fanatic who's been playing since December 2021, so I can definitely help you solve Quordle today and improve your game for tomorrow. Read on for my Quordle hints to game #511 and the answers to the main game and Daily Sequence. 

SPOILER WARNING: Information about Quordle today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

Quordle today (game #511) – hint #1 – Vowels

How many different vowels are in Quordle today?

The number of different vowels in Quordle today is 3*.

* Note that by vowel we mean the five standard vowels (A, E, I, O, U), not Y (which is sometimes counted as a vowel too). 

Quordle today (game #511) – hint #2 – total vowels

What is the total number of vowels in Quordle today?

The total number of vowels across today’s Quordle answers is 8.

Quordle today (game #511) – hint #3 – repeated letters

Do any of today’s Quordle answers contain repeated letters?

The number of Quordle answers containing a repeated letter today is 0.

Quordle today (game #511) – hint #4 – total letters

How many different letters are used in Quordle today?

The total number of different letters used in Quordle today is 12.

Quordle today (game #511) – hint #5 – uncommon letters

Do the letters Q, Z, X or J appear in Quordle today?

• No. None of Q, Z, X or J appear among today’s Quordle answers.

Quordle today (game #511) – hint #6 – starting letters (1)

Do any of today’s Quordle puzzles start with the same letter?

The number of today’s Quordle answers starting with the same letter is 0.

If you just want to know the answers at this stage, simply scroll down. If you're not ready yet then here's one more clue to make things a lot easier:

Quordle today (game #511) – hint #7 – starting letters (2)

What letters do today’s Quordle answers start with?

• H

• L

• G

• P

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

Quordle today (game #511) – the answers

Quordle answers for game 511 on a yellow background

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #511, are…

  • HORDE
  • LOSER
  • GUSTO
  • PRONE

How did you do today? Send me an email and let me know.


Daily Sequence today (game #511) – the answers

Quordle Daily Sequence answers for game 511 on a yellow background

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #511, are…

  • OCEAN
  • LOWER
  • PAPER
  • GAUDY

Quordle answers: The past 20

  • Quordle #510, Sunday 18 June: SHORN, FRIAR, THREE, UNTIE
  • Quordle #509, Saturday 17 June: JUROR, BUSED, SAPPY, VYING
  • Quordle #508, Friday 16 June: PASTA, RABID, UNFIT, CURLY
  • Quordle #507, Thursday 15 June: COBRA, CORNY, MINCE, CHILI
  • Quordle #506, Wednesday 14 June: LIBEL, SAVVY, VAULT, TROLL
  • Quordle #505, Tuesday 13 June: LOWLY, CORAL, PLANK, AMISS
  • Quordle #504, Monday 12 June: STAMP, BONEY, TRACE, CLOVE
  • Quordle #503, Sunday 11 June: QUACK, SCALP, DRIER, FOLLY
  • Quordle #502, Saturday 10 June: WRUNG, TROLL, TAKER, ELATE
  • Quordle #501, Friday 9 June: HAZEL, REACT, SPOKE, CHART
  • Quordle #500, Thursday 8 June: TRAWL, CRUDE, BRAVE, FURRY
  • Quordle #499, Wednesday 7 June: QUELL, GUISE, UNDUE, PALER
  • Quordle #498, Tuesday 6 June: BRICK, TIGHT, SHOWY, ARDOR
  • Quordle #497, Monday 5 June: STUNG, SHAPE, QUAIL, BLURT
  • Quordle #496, Sunday 4 June: GUILT, BIRTH, QUOTH, EVADE
  • Quordle #495, Saturday 3 June: BOOZE, ASKEW, REUSE, PAYEE
  • Quordle #494, Friday 2 June: FLYER, CHIME, VALID, LUMEN
  • Quordle #493, Thursday 1 June: BLAST, SKULL, VAUNT, LIEGE
  • Quordle #492, Wednesday 31 May: APRON, UNDER, ALIKE, FRUIT
  • Quordle #491, Tuesday 30 May: CADET, RIPEN, BREAD, CREED
  • Quordle #490, Monday 29 May: ANNOY, ELECT, STALE, TURBO
  • Quordle #489, Sunday 28 May: GULLY, RISEN, CHAFE, CHEAT

Quordle FAQs: Everything you need to know

What is Quordle?

Where Wordle challenges you to guess a new five-letter word each day, Quordle presents you with four puzzles to solve. And rather than complete them in turn, you do so simultaneously. You get nine guesses, rather than the six for Wordle, but the rules are otherwise very similar. 

It’s played online via the Quordle website and you can also get to it via the Merriam-Webster site, after the dictionary purchased Quordle last year

As with Wordle, the answers are the same for every player each day, meaning that you’re competing against the rest of the world. And also as with Wordle, the puzzle resets at midnight so you have a fresh challenge each day.

The website also includes a practice mode – which I definitely recommend using before attempting the game proper! – and there are daily stats including a streak count. You also get Quordle Achievements – specific badges for winning a game in a certain number of turns, playing lots of times, or guessing particularly hard words.

Oh, and it’s difficult. Really difficult.

What are the Quordle rules?

The rules of Quordle are almost identical to those of Wordle.

1. Letters that are in the answer and in the right place turn green.

2. Letters that are in the answer but in the wrong place turn yellow. 

3. Letters that are not in the answer turn gray…

4. …BUT the word you guess appears in all quadrants of the puzzle at the same time, so an A could turn green in one square, yellow in another and gray in the final two. 

5. Answers are never plural.

6. Letters can appear more than once. So if your guess includes two of one letter, they may both turn yellow, both turn green, or one could be yellow and the other green.

7. Each guess must be a valid word in Quordle’s dictionary. You can’t guess ABCDE, for instance.

8. You do not have to include correct letters in subsequent guesses and there is no equivalent of Wordle’s Hard mode.

9. You have nine guesses to find the Quordle answers.

10. You must complete the daily Quordle before midnight in your timezone.

What is a good Quordle strategy?

Quordle needs to be approached in a different way to Wordle. With four puzzles to solve in nine guesses, you can’t blindly throw letters at it and expect to win – you’ll stand a far better chance if you think strategically.

That’s the case in Wordle too, of course, but it’s even more important in Quordle.

There are two key things to remember. 

1. Use several starting words

Firstly, you won’t want just a single starting word, but almost certainly two or three starting words. 

The first of these should probably be one of the best Wordle starting words, because the same things that make them work well will apply here too. But after that, you should select another word or possibly two that use up lots more of the most common consonants and that include any remaining vowels.

For instance, I currently use STARE > DOILY > PUNCH. Between them, these three words use 15 of the 26 letters in the alphabet including all five vowels, Y, and nine of the most common consonants (S, T, R, D, L, P, N, C and H). There are plenty of other options – you might want to get an M, B, F or G in there instead of the H, maybe – but something like that should do the trick.

If all goes well, that will give you a good lead on what one or sometimes two of the answers might be. If not, well good luck!

2. Narrow things down

Secondly, if you’re faced with a word where the answer might easily be one of several options – for instance -ATCH, where it could be MATCH, BATCH, LATCH, CATCH, WATCH, HATCH or PATCH – you’ll definitely want to guess a word that would narrow down those options. 

In Wordle, you can instead try several of those in succession and hope one is right, assuming you have enough guesses left. It’s risky, but will sometimes work. Plus, it’s the only option in Hard mode. But in Quordle, this will almost certainly result in a failure – you simply don’t have enough guesses.

In the scenario above, CLAMP would be a great guess, as it could point the way to four of the seven words in one go.

TechRadar – All the latest technology news

Read More

Quordle today – hints and answers for Sunday, June 18 (game #510)

It's time for your daily dose of Quordle hints, plus the answers for both the main game and the Daily Sequence spin off. 

Quordle is the only one of the many Wordle clones that I'm still playing now, around 18 months after the daily-word-game craze hit the internet, and with good reason: it's good fun, but also difficult.

What's more, its makers (now the online dictionary Merriam-Webster) are also keeping it fresh in the form of a new variant called the Daily Sequence, which sees you complete four puzzles consecutively, rather than concurrently. 

But Quordle is tough, so if you already find yourself searching for Wordle hints, you'll probably need some for this game too. 

I'm a Quordle and Wordle fanatic who's been playing since December 2021, so I can definitely help you solve Quordle today and improve your game for tomorrow. Read on for my Quordle hints to game #510 and the answers to the main game and Daily Sequence. 

SPOILER WARNING: Information about Quordle today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

Quordle today (game #510) – hint #1 – Vowels

How many different vowels are in Quordle today?

The number of different vowels in Quordle today is 5*.

* Note that by vowel we mean the five standard vowels (A, E, I, O, U), not Y (which is sometimes counted as a vowel too). 

Quordle today (game #510) – hint #2 – total vowels

What is the total number of vowels in Quordle today?

The total number of vowels across today’s Quordle answers is 8.

Quordle today (game #510) – hint #3 – repeated letters

Do any of today’s Quordle answers contain repeated letters?

The number of Quordle answers containing a repeated letter today is 2.

Quordle today (game #510) – hint #4 – total letters

How many different letters are used in Quordle today?

The total number of different letters used in Quordle today is 11.

Quordle today (game #510) – hint #5 – uncommon letters

Do the letters Q, Z, X or J appear in Quordle today?

• No. None of Q, Z, X or J appear among today’s Quordle answers.

Quordle today (game #510) – hint #6 – starting letters (1)

Do any of today’s Quordle puzzles start with the same letter?

The number of today’s Quordle answers starting with the same letter is 0.

If you just want to know the answers at this stage, simply scroll down. If you're not ready yet then here's one more clue to make things a lot easier:

Quordle today (game #510) – hint #7 – starting letters (2)

What letters do today’s Quordle answers start with?

• S

• F

• T

• U

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

Quordle today (game #510) – the answers

Quordle answers for game 510 on a yellow background

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #510, are…

  • SHORN
  • FRIAR
  • THREE
  • UNTIE

How did you do today? Send me an email and let me know.


Daily Sequence today (game #510) – the answers

Quordle Daily Sequence answers for game 510 on a yellow background

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #510, are…

  • DOWEL
  • QUAKE
  • BRAND
  • BANAL

Quordle answers: The past 20

  • Quordle #509, Saturday 17 June: JUROR, BUSED, SAPPY, VYING
  • Quordle #508, Friday 16 June: PASTA, RABID, UNFIT, CURLY
  • Quordle #507, Thursday 15 June: COBRA, CORNY, MINCE, CHILI
  • Quordle #506, Wednesday 14 June: LIBEL, SAVVY, VAULT, TROLL
  • Quordle #505, Tuesday 13 June: LOWLY, CORAL, PLANK, AMISS
  • Quordle #504, Monday 12 June: STAMP, BONEY, TRACE, CLOVE
  • Quordle #503, Sunday 11 June: QUACK, SCALP, DRIER, FOLLY
  • Quordle #502, Saturday 10 June: WRUNG, TROLL, TAKER, ELATE
  • Quordle #501, Friday 9 June: HAZEL, REACT, SPOKE, CHART
  • Quordle #500, Thursday 8 June: TRAWL, CRUDE, BRAVE, FURRY
  • Quordle #499, Wednesday 7 June: QUELL, GUISE, UNDUE, PALER
  • Quordle #498, Tuesday 6 June: BRICK, TIGHT, SHOWY, ARDOR
  • Quordle #497, Monday 5 June: STUNG, SHAPE, QUAIL, BLURT
  • Quordle #496, Sunday 4 June: GUILT, BIRTH, QUOTH, EVADE
  • Quordle #495, Saturday 3 June: BOOZE, ASKEW, REUSE, PAYEE
  • Quordle #494, Friday 2 June: FLYER, CHIME, VALID, LUMEN
  • Quordle #493, Thursday 1 June: BLAST, SKULL, VAUNT, LIEGE
  • Quordle #492, Wednesday 31 May: APRON, UNDER, ALIKE, FRUIT
  • Quordle #491, Tuesday 30 May: CADET, RIPEN, BREAD, CREED
  • Quordle #490, Monday 29 May: ANNOY, ELECT, STALE, TURBO
  • Quordle #489, Sunday 28 May: GULLY, RISEN, CHAFE, CHEAT
  • Quordle #488, Saturday 27 May: GRASS, BELCH, CROWD, SHOWN

Quordle FAQs: Everything you need to know

What is Quordle?

Where Wordle challenges you to guess a new five-letter word each day, Quordle presents you with four puzzles to solve. And rather than complete them in turn, you do so simultaneously. You get nine guesses, rather than the six for Wordle, but the rules are otherwise very similar. 

It’s played online via the Quordle website and you can also get to it via the Merriam-Webster site, after the dictionary purchased Quordle last year

As with Wordle, the answers are the same for every player each day, meaning that you’re competing against the rest of the world. And also as with Wordle, the puzzle resets at midnight so you have a fresh challenge each day.

The website also includes a practice mode – which I definitely recommend using before attempting the game proper! – and there are daily stats including a streak count. You also get Quordle Achievements – specific badges for winning a game in a certain number of turns, playing lots of times, or guessing particularly hard words.

Oh, and it’s difficult. Really difficult.

What are the Quordle rules?

The rules of Quordle are almost identical to those of Wordle.

1. Letters that are in the answer and in the right place turn green.

2. Letters that are in the answer but in the wrong place turn yellow. 

3. Letters that are not in the answer turn gray…

4. …BUT the word you guess appears in all quadrants of the puzzle at the same time, so an A could turn green in one square, yellow in another and gray in the final two. 

5. Answers are never plural.

6. Letters can appear more than once. So if your guess includes two of one letter, they may both turn yellow, both turn green, or one could be yellow and the other green.

7. Each guess must be a valid word in Quordle’s dictionary. You can’t guess ABCDE, for instance.

8. You do not have to include correct letters in subsequent guesses and there is no equivalent of Wordle’s Hard mode.

9. You have nine guesses to find the Quordle answers.

10. You must complete the daily Quordle before midnight in your timezone.

What is a good Quordle strategy?

Quordle needs to be approached in a different way to Wordle. With four puzzles to solve in nine guesses, you can’t blindly throw letters at it and expect to win – you’ll stand a far better chance if you think strategically.

That’s the case in Wordle too, of course, but it’s even more important in Quordle.

There are two key things to remember. 

1. Use several starting words

Firstly, you won’t want just a single starting word, but almost certainly two or three starting words. 

The first of these should probably be one of the best Wordle starting words, because the same things that make them work well will apply here too. But after that, you should select another word or possibly two that use up lots more of the most common consonants and that include any remaining vowels.

For instance, I currently use STARE > DOILY > PUNCH. Between them, these three words use 15 of the 26 letters in the alphabet including all five vowels, Y, and nine of the most common consonants (S, T, R, D, L, P, N, C and H). There are plenty of other options – you might want to get an M, B, F or G in there instead of the H, maybe – but something like that should do the trick.

If all goes well, that will give you a good lead on what one or sometimes two of the answers might be. If not, well good luck!

2. Narrow things down

Secondly, if you’re faced with a word where the answer might easily be one of several options – for instance -ATCH, where it could be MATCH, BATCH, LATCH, CATCH, WATCH, HATCH or PATCH – you’ll definitely want to guess a word that would narrow down those options. 

In Wordle, you can instead try several of those in succession and hope one is right, assuming you have enough guesses left. It’s risky, but will sometimes work. Plus, it’s the only option in Hard mode. But in Quordle, this will almost certainly result in a failure – you simply don’t have enough guesses.

In the scenario above, CLAMP would be a great guess, as it could point the way to four of the seven words in one go.

TechRadar – All the latest technology news

Read More

Quordle today – hints and answers for Saturday, June 17 (game #509)

It's time for your daily dose of Quordle hints, plus the answers for both the main game and the Daily Sequence spin off. 

Quordle is the only one of the many Wordle clones that I'm still playing now, around 18 months after the daily-word-game craze hit the internet, and with good reason: it's good fun, but also difficult.

What's more, its makers (now the online dictionary Merriam-Webster) are also keeping it fresh in the form of a new variant called the Daily Sequence, which sees you complete four puzzles consecutively, rather than concurrently. 

But Quordle is tough, so if you already find yourself searching for Wordle hints, you'll probably need some for this game too. 

I'm a Quordle and Wordle fanatic who's been playing since December 2021, so I can definitely help you solve Quordle today and improve your game for tomorrow. Read on for my Quordle hints to game #509 and the answers to the main game and Daily Sequence. 

SPOILER WARNING: Information about Quordle today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

Quordle today (game #509) – hint #1 – Vowels

How many different vowels are in Quordle today?

The number of different vowels in Quordle today is 5*.

* Note that by vowel we mean the five standard vowels (A, E, I, O, U), not Y (which is sometimes counted as a vowel too). 

Quordle today (game #509) – hint #2 – total vowels

What is the total number of vowels in Quordle today?

The total number of vowels across today’s Quordle answers is 6.

Quordle today (game #509) – hint #3 – repeated letters

Do any of today’s Quordle answers contain repeated letters?

The number of Quordle answers containing a repeated letter today is 2.

Quordle today (game #509) – hint #4 – total letters

How many different letters are used in Quordle today?

The total number of different letters used in Quordle today is 15.

Quordle today (game #509) – hint #5 – uncommon letters

Do the letters Q, Z, X or J appear in Quordle today?

• Yes. One of Q, Z, X or J appears among today’s Quordle answers.

Quordle today (game #509) – hint #6 – starting letters (1)

Do any of today’s Quordle puzzles start with the same letter?

The number of today’s Quordle answers starting with the same letter is 0.

If you just want to know the answers at this stage, simply scroll down. If you're not ready yet then here's one more clue to make things a lot easier:

Quordle today (game #509) – hint #7 – starting letters (2)

What letters do today’s Quordle answers start with?

• J

• B

• S

• V

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

Quordle today (game #509) – the answers

Quordle answers for game 509 on a yellow background

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #509, are…

  • JUROR
  • BUSED
  • SAPPY
  • VYING

How did you do today? Send me an email and let me know.


Daily Sequence today (game #509) – the answers

Quordle Daily Sequence answers for game 509 on a yellow background

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #509, are…

  • MOGUL
  • TALLY
  • ERODE
  • AORTA

Quordle answers: The past 20

  • Quordle #508, Friday 16 June: PASTA, RABID, UNFIT, CURLY
  • Quordle #507, Thursday 15 June: COBRA, CORNY, MINCE, CHILI
  • Quordle #506, Wednesday 14 June: LIBEL, SAVVY, VAULT, TROLL
  • Quordle #505, Tuesday 13 June: LOWLY, CORAL, PLANK, AMISS
  • Quordle #504, Monday 12 June: STAMP, BONEY, TRACE, CLOVE
  • Quordle #503, Sunday 11 June: QUACK, SCALP, DRIER, FOLLY
  • Quordle #502, Saturday 10 June: WRUNG, TROLL, TAKER, ELATE
  • Quordle #501, Friday 9 June: HAZEL, REACT, SPOKE, CHART
  • Quordle #500, Thursday 8 June: TRAWL, CRUDE, BRAVE, FURRY
  • Quordle #499, Wednesday 7 June: QUELL, GUISE, UNDUE, PALER
  • Quordle #498, Tuesday 6 June: BRICK, TIGHT, SHOWY, ARDOR
  • Quordle #497, Monday 5 June: STUNG, SHAPE, QUAIL, BLURT
  • Quordle #496, Sunday 4 June: GUILT, BIRTH, QUOTH, EVADE
  • Quordle #495, Saturday 3 June: BOOZE, ASKEW, REUSE, PAYEE
  • Quordle #494, Friday 2 June: FLYER, CHIME, VALID, LUMEN
  • Quordle #493, Thursday 1 June: BLAST, SKULL, VAUNT, LIEGE
  • Quordle #492, Wednesday 31 May: APRON, UNDER, ALIKE, FRUIT
  • Quordle #491, Tuesday 30 May: CADET, RIPEN, BREAD, CREED
  • Quordle #490, Monday 29 May: ANNOY, ELECT, STALE, TURBO
  • Quordle #489, Sunday 28 May: GULLY, RISEN, CHAFE, CHEAT
  • Quordle #488, Saturday 27 May: GRASS, BELCH, CROWD, SHOWN
  • Quordle #487, Friday 26 May: LOATH, MEALY, BEGAN, REUSE

Quordle FAQs: Everything you need to know

What is Quordle?

Where Wordle challenges you to guess a new five-letter word each day, Quordle presents you with four puzzles to solve. And rather than complete them in turn, you do so simultaneously. You get nine guesses, rather than the six for Wordle, but the rules are otherwise very similar. 

It’s played online via the Quordle website and you can also get to it via the Merriam-Webster site, after the dictionary purchased Quordle last year

As with Wordle, the answers are the same for every player each day, meaning that you’re competing against the rest of the world. And also as with Wordle, the puzzle resets at midnight so you have a fresh challenge each day.

The website also includes a practice mode – which I definitely recommend using before attempting the game proper! – and there are daily stats including a streak count. You also get Quordle Achievements – specific badges for winning a game in a certain number of turns, playing lots of times, or guessing particularly hard words.

Oh, and it’s difficult. Really difficult.

What are the Quordle rules?

The rules of Quordle are almost identical to those of Wordle.

1. Letters that are in the answer and in the right place turn green.

2. Letters that are in the answer but in the wrong place turn yellow. 

3. Letters that are not in the answer turn gray…

4. …BUT the word you guess appears in all quadrants of the puzzle at the same time, so an A could turn green in one square, yellow in another and gray in the final two. 

5. Answers are never plural.

6. Letters can appear more than once. So if your guess includes two of one letter, they may both turn yellow, both turn green, or one could be yellow and the other green.

7. Each guess must be a valid word in Quordle’s dictionary. You can’t guess ABCDE, for instance.

8. You do not have to include correct letters in subsequent guesses and there is no equivalent of Wordle’s Hard mode.

9. You have nine guesses to find the Quordle answers.

10. You must complete the daily Quordle before midnight in your timezone.

What is a good Quordle strategy?

Quordle needs to be approached in a different way to Wordle. With four puzzles to solve in nine guesses, you can’t blindly throw letters at it and expect to win – you’ll stand a far better chance if you think strategically.

That’s the case in Wordle too, of course, but it’s even more important in Quordle.

There are two key things to remember. 

1. Use several starting words

Firstly, you won’t want just a single starting word, but almost certainly two or three starting words. 

The first of these should probably be one of the best Wordle starting words, because the same things that make them work well will apply here too. But after that, you should select another word or possibly two that use up lots more of the most common consonants and that include any remaining vowels.

For instance, I currently use STARE > DOILY > PUNCH. Between them, these three words use 15 of the 26 letters in the alphabet including all five vowels, Y, and nine of the most common consonants (S, T, R, D, L, P, N, C and H). There are plenty of other options – you might want to get an M, B, F or G in there instead of the H, maybe – but something like that should do the trick.

If all goes well, that will give you a good lead on what one or sometimes two of the answers might be. If not, well good luck!

2. Narrow things down

Secondly, if you’re faced with a word where the answer might easily be one of several options – for instance -ATCH, where it could be MATCH, BATCH, LATCH, CATCH, WATCH, HATCH or PATCH – you’ll definitely want to guess a word that would narrow down those options. 

In Wordle, you can instead try several of those in succession and hope one is right, assuming you have enough guesses left. It’s risky, but will sometimes work. Plus, it’s the only option in Hard mode. But in Quordle, this will almost certainly result in a failure – you simply don’t have enough guesses.

In the scenario above, CLAMP would be a great guess, as it could point the way to four of the seven words in one go.

TechRadar – All the latest technology news

Read More

Quordle today – hints and answers for Friday, June 16 (game #508)

It's time for your daily dose of Quordle hints, plus the answers for both the main game and the Daily Sequence spin off. 

Quordle is the only one of the many Wordle clones that I'm still playing now, around 18 months after the daily-word-game craze hit the internet, and with good reason: it's good fun, but also difficult.

What's more, its makers (now the online dictionary Merriam-Webster) are also keeping it fresh in the form of a new variant called the Daily Sequence, which sees you complete four puzzles consecutively, rather than concurrently. 

But Quordle is tough, so if you already find yourself searching for Wordle hints, you'll probably need some for this game too. 

I'm a Quordle and Wordle fanatic who's been playing since December 2021, so I can definitely help you solve Quordle today and improve your game for tomorrow. Read on for my Quordle hints to game #508 and the answers to the main game and Daily Sequence. 

SPOILER WARNING: Information about Quordle today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

Quordle today (game #508) – hint #1 – Vowels

How many different vowels are in Quordle today?

The number of different vowels in Quordle today is 3*.

* Note that by vowel we mean the five standard vowels (A, E, I, O, U), not Y (which is sometimes counted as a vowel too). 

Quordle today (game #508) – hint #2 – total vowels

What is the total number of vowels in Quordle today?

The total number of vowels across today’s Quordle answers is 7.

Quordle today (game #508) – hint #3 – repeated letters

Do any of today’s Quordle answers contain repeated letters?

The number of Quordle answers containing a repeated letter today is 1.

Quordle today (game #508) – hint #4 – total letters

How many different letters are used in Quordle today?

The total number of different letters used in Quordle today is 14.

Quordle today (game #508) – hint #5 – uncommon letters

Do the letters Q, Z, X or J appear in Quordle today?

• No. None of Q, Z, X or J appear among today’s Quordle answers.

Quordle today (game #508) – hint #6 – starting letters (1)

Do any of today’s Quordle puzzles start with the same letter?

The number of today’s Quordle answers starting with the same letter is 0.

If you just want to know the answers at this stage, simply scroll down. If you're not ready yet then here's one more clue to make things a lot easier:

Quordle today (game #508) – hint #7 – starting letters (2)

What letters do today’s Quordle answers start with?

• P

• R

• U

• C

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

Quordle today (game #508) – the answers

Quordle answers for game 508 on a yellow background

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #508, are…

  • PASTA
  • RABID
  • UNFIT
  • CURLY

How did you do today? Send me an email and let me know.


Daily Sequence today (game #508) – the answers

Quordle Daily Sequence answers for game 508 on a yellow background

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #508, are…

  • GUISE
  • FOGGY
  • BASIS
  • SMOCK

Quordle answers: The past 20

  • Quordle #507, Thursday 15 June: COBRA, CORNY, MINCE, CHILI
  • Quordle #506, Wednesday 14 June: LIBEL, SAVVY, VAULT, TROLL
  • Quordle #505, Tuesday 13 June: LOWLY, CORAL, PLANK, AMISS
  • Quordle #504, Monday 12 June: STAMP, BONEY, TRACE, CLOVE
  • Quordle #503, Sunday 11 June: QUACK, SCALP, DRIER, FOLLY
  • Quordle #502, Saturday 10 June: WRUNG, TROLL, TAKER, ELATE
  • Quordle #501, Friday 9 June: HAZEL, REACT, SPOKE, CHART
  • Quordle #500, Thursday 8 June: TRAWL, CRUDE, BRAVE, FURRY
  • Quordle #499, Wednesday 7 June: QUELL, GUISE, UNDUE, PALER
  • Quordle #498, Tuesday 6 June: BRICK, TIGHT, SHOWY, ARDOR
  • Quordle #497, Monday 5 June: STUNG, SHAPE, QUAIL, BLURT
  • Quordle #496, Sunday 4 June: GUILT, BIRTH, QUOTH, EVADE
  • Quordle #495, Saturday 3 June: BOOZE, ASKEW, REUSE, PAYEE
  • Quordle #494, Friday 2 June: FLYER, CHIME, VALID, LUMEN
  • Quordle #493, Thursday 1 June: BLAST, SKULL, VAUNT, LIEGE
  • Quordle #492, Wednesday 31 May: APRON, UNDER, ALIKE, FRUIT
  • Quordle #491, Tuesday 30 May: CADET, RIPEN, BREAD, CREED
  • Quordle #490, Monday 29 May: ANNOY, ELECT, STALE, TURBO
  • Quordle #489, Sunday 28 May: GULLY, RISEN, CHAFE, CHEAT
  • Quordle #488, Saturday 27 May: GRASS, BELCH, CROWD, SHOWN
  • Quordle #487, Friday 26 May: LOATH, MEALY, BEGAN, REUSE
  • Quordle #486, Thursday 25 May: ALARM, PAUSE, COLON, BURLY

Quordle FAQs: Everything you need to know

What is Quordle?

Where Wordle challenges you to guess a new five-letter word each day, Quordle presents you with four puzzles to solve. And rather than complete them in turn, you do so simultaneously. You get nine guesses, rather than the six for Wordle, but the rules are otherwise very similar. 

It’s played online via the Quordle website and you can also get to it via the Merriam-Webster site, after the dictionary purchased Quordle last year

As with Wordle, the answers are the same for every player each day, meaning that you’re competing against the rest of the world. And also as with Wordle, the puzzle resets at midnight so you have a fresh challenge each day.

The website also includes a practice mode – which I definitely recommend using before attempting the game proper! – and there are daily stats including a streak count. You also get Quordle Achievements – specific badges for winning a game in a certain number of turns, playing lots of times, or guessing particularly hard words.

Oh, and it’s difficult. Really difficult.

What are the Quordle rules?

The rules of Quordle are almost identical to those of Wordle.

1. Letters that are in the answer and in the right place turn green.

2. Letters that are in the answer but in the wrong place turn yellow. 

3. Letters that are not in the answer turn gray…

4. …BUT the word you guess appears in all quadrants of the puzzle at the same time, so an A could turn green in one square, yellow in another and gray in the final two. 

5. Answers are never plural.

6. Letters can appear more than once. So if your guess includes two of one letter, they may both turn yellow, both turn green, or one could be yellow and the other green.

7. Each guess must be a valid word in Quordle’s dictionary. You can’t guess ABCDE, for instance.

8. You do not have to include correct letters in subsequent guesses and there is no equivalent of Wordle’s Hard mode.

9. You have nine guesses to find the Quordle answers.

10. You must complete the daily Quordle before midnight in your timezone.

What is a good Quordle strategy?

Quordle needs to be approached in a different way to Wordle. With four puzzles to solve in nine guesses, you can’t blindly throw letters at it and expect to win – you’ll stand a far better chance if you think strategically.

That’s the case in Wordle too, of course, but it’s even more important in Quordle.

There are two key things to remember. 

1. Use several starting words

Firstly, you won’t want just a single starting word, but almost certainly two or three starting words. 

The first of these should probably be one of the best Wordle starting words, because the same things that make them work well will apply here too. But after that, you should select another word or possibly two that use up lots more of the most common consonants and that include any remaining vowels.

For instance, I currently use STARE > DOILY > PUNCH. Between them, these three words use 15 of the 26 letters in the alphabet including all five vowels, Y, and nine of the most common consonants (S, T, R, D, L, P, N, C and H). There are plenty of other options – you might want to get an M, B, F or G in there instead of the H, maybe – but something like that should do the trick.

If all goes well, that will give you a good lead on what one or sometimes two of the answers might be. If not, well good luck!

2. Narrow things down

Secondly, if you’re faced with a word where the answer might easily be one of several options – for instance -ATCH, where it could be MATCH, BATCH, LATCH, CATCH, WATCH, HATCH or PATCH – you’ll definitely want to guess a word that would narrow down those options. 

In Wordle, you can instead try several of those in succession and hope one is right, assuming you have enough guesses left. It’s risky, but will sometimes work. Plus, it’s the only option in Hard mode. But in Quordle, this will almost certainly result in a failure – you simply don’t have enough guesses.

In the scenario above, CLAMP would be a great guess, as it could point the way to four of the seven words in one go.

TechRadar – All the latest technology news

Read More

Quordle today – hints and answers for Thursday, June 15 (game #507)

It's time for your daily dose of Quordle hints, plus the answers for both the main game and the Daily Sequence spin off. 

Quordle is the only one of the many Wordle clones that I'm still playing now, around 18 months after the daily-word-game craze hit the internet, and with good reason: it's good fun, but also difficult.

What's more, its makers (now the online dictionary Merriam-Webster) are also keeping it fresh in the form of a new variant called the Daily Sequence, which sees you complete four puzzles consecutively, rather than concurrently. 

But Quordle is tough, so if you already find yourself searching for Wordle hints, you'll probably need some for this game too. 

I'm a Quordle and Wordle fanatic who's been playing since December 2021, so I can definitely help you solve Quordle today and improve your game for tomorrow. Read on for my Quordle hints to game #507 and the answers to the main game and Daily Sequence. 

SPOILER WARNING: Information about Quordle today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

Quordle today (game #507) – hint #1 – Vowels

How many different vowels are in Quordle today?

The number of different vowels in Quordle today is 4*.

* Note that by vowel we mean the five standard vowels (A, E, I, O, U), not Y (which is sometimes counted as a vowel too). 

Quordle today (game #507) – hint #2 – total vowels

What is the total number of vowels in Quordle today?

The total number of vowels across today’s Quordle answers is 7.

Quordle today (game #507) – hint #3 – repeated letters

Do any of today’s Quordle answers contain repeated letters?

The number of Quordle answers containing a repeated letter today is 1.

Quordle today (game #507) – hint #4 – total letters

How many different letters are used in Quordle today?

The total number of different letters used in Quordle today is 12.

Quordle today (game #507) – hint #5 – uncommon letters

Do the letters Q, Z, X or J appear in Quordle today?

• No. None of Q, Z, X or J appear among today’s Quordle answers.

Quordle today (game #507) – hint #6 – starting letters (1)

Do any of today’s Quordle puzzles start with the same letter?

The number of today’s Quordle answers starting with the same letter is 3.

If you just want to know the answers at this stage, simply scroll down. If you're not ready yet then here's one more clue to make things a lot easier:

Quordle today (game #507) – hint #7 – starting letters (2)

What letters do today’s Quordle answers start with?

• C

• C

• M

• C

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

Quordle today (game #507) – the answers

Quordle answers for game 507 on a yellow background

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #507, are…

  • COBRA
  • CORNY
  • MINCE
  • CHILI

How did you do today? Send me an email and let me know.


Daily Sequence today (game #507) – the answers

Quordle daily sequence answers for game 507 on a yellow background

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #507, are…

  • SPRAY
  • SPINY
  • KNEEL
  • STORE

Quordle answers: The past 20

  • Quordle #506, Wednesday 14 June: LIBEL, SAVVY, VAULT, TROLL
  • Quordle #505, Tuesday 13 June: LOWLY, CORAL, PLANK, AMISS
  • Quordle #504, Monday 12 June: STAMP, BONEY, TRACE, CLOVE
  • Quordle #503, Sunday 11 June: QUACK, SCALP, DRIER, FOLLY
  • Quordle #502, Saturday 10 June: WRUNG, TROLL, TAKER, ELATE
  • Quordle #501, Friday 9 June: HAZEL, REACT, SPOKE, CHART
  • Quordle #500, Thursday 8 June: TRAWL, CRUDE, BRAVE, FURRY
  • Quordle #499, Wednesday 7 June: QUELL, GUISE, UNDUE, PALER
  • Quordle #498, Tuesday 6 June: BRICK, TIGHT, SHOWY, ARDOR
  • Quordle #497, Monday 5 June: STUNG, SHAPE, QUAIL, BLURT
  • Quordle #496, Sunday 4 June: GUILT, BIRTH, QUOTH, EVADE
  • Quordle #495, Saturday 3 June: BOOZE, ASKEW, REUSE, PAYEE
  • Quordle #494, Friday 2 June: FLYER, CHIME, VALID, LUMEN
  • Quordle #493, Thursday 1 June: BLAST, SKULL, VAUNT, LIEGE
  • Quordle #492, Wednesday 31 May: APRON, UNDER, ALIKE, FRUIT
  • Quordle #491, Tuesday 30 May: CADET, RIPEN, BREAD, CREED
  • Quordle #490, Monday 29 May: ANNOY, ELECT, STALE, TURBO
  • Quordle #489, Sunday 28 May: GULLY, RISEN, CHAFE, CHEAT
  • Quordle #488, Saturday 27 May: GRASS, BELCH, CROWD, SHOWN
  • Quordle #487, Friday 26 May: LOATH, MEALY, BEGAN, REUSE
  • Quordle #486, Thursday 25 May: ALARM, PAUSE, COLON, BURLY
  • Quordle #485, Wednesday 24 May: WHINY, LUSTY, NOISE, BOOTH

Quordle FAQs: Everything you need to know

What is Quordle?

Where Wordle challenges you to guess a new five-letter word each day, Quordle presents you with four puzzles to solve. And rather than complete them in turn, you do so simultaneously. You get nine guesses, rather than the six for Wordle, but the rules are otherwise very similar. 

It’s played online via the Quordle website and you can also get to it via the Merriam-Webster site, after the dictionary purchased Quordle last year

As with Wordle, the answers are the same for every player each day, meaning that you’re competing against the rest of the world. And also as with Wordle, the puzzle resets at midnight so you have a fresh challenge each day.

The website also includes a practice mode – which I definitely recommend using before attempting the game proper! – and there are daily stats including a streak count. You also get Quordle Achievements – specific badges for winning a game in a certain number of turns, playing lots of times, or guessing particularly hard words.

Oh, and it’s difficult. Really difficult.

What are the Quordle rules?

The rules of Quordle are almost identical to those of Wordle.

1. Letters that are in the answer and in the right place turn green.

2. Letters that are in the answer but in the wrong place turn yellow. 

3. Letters that are not in the answer turn gray…

4. …BUT the word you guess appears in all quadrants of the puzzle at the same time, so an A could turn green in one square, yellow in another and gray in the final two. 

5. Answers are never plural.

6. Letters can appear more than once. So if your guess includes two of one letter, they may both turn yellow, both turn green, or one could be yellow and the other green.

7. Each guess must be a valid word in Quordle’s dictionary. You can’t guess ABCDE, for instance.

8. You do not have to include correct letters in subsequent guesses and there is no equivalent of Wordle’s Hard mode.

9. You have nine guesses to find the Quordle answers.

10. You must complete the daily Quordle before midnight in your timezone.

What is a good Quordle strategy?

Quordle needs to be approached in a different way to Wordle. With four puzzles to solve in nine guesses, you can’t blindly throw letters at it and expect to win – you’ll stand a far better chance if you think strategically.

That’s the case in Wordle too, of course, but it’s even more important in Quordle.

There are two key things to remember. 

1. Use several starting words

Firstly, you won’t want just a single starting word, but almost certainly two or three starting words. 

The first of these should probably be one of the best Wordle starting words, because the same things that make them work well will apply here too. But after that, you should select another word or possibly two that use up lots more of the most common consonants and that include any remaining vowels.

For instance, I currently use STARE > DOILY > PUNCH. Between them, these three words use 15 of the 26 letters in the alphabet including all five vowels, Y, and nine of the most common consonants (S, T, R, D, L, P, N, C and H). There are plenty of other options – you might want to get an M, B, F or G in there instead of the H, maybe – but something like that should do the trick.

If all goes well, that will give you a good lead on what one or sometimes two of the answers might be. If not, well good luck!

2. Narrow things down

Secondly, if you’re faced with a word where the answer might easily be one of several options – for instance -ATCH, where it could be MATCH, BATCH, LATCH, CATCH, WATCH, HATCH or PATCH – you’ll definitely want to guess a word that would narrow down those options. 

In Wordle, you can instead try several of those in succession and hope one is right, assuming you have enough guesses left. It’s risky, but will sometimes work. Plus, it’s the only option in Hard mode. But in Quordle, this will almost certainly result in a failure – you simply don’t have enough guesses.

In the scenario above, CLAMP would be a great guess, as it could point the way to four of the seven words in one go.

TechRadar – All the latest technology news

Read More

Quordle today – hints and answers for Wednesday, June 14 (game #506)

It's time for your daily dose of Quordle hints, plus the answers for both the main game and the Daily Sequence spin off. 

Quordle is the only one of the many Wordle clones that I'm still playing now, around 18 months after the daily-word-game craze hit the internet, and with good reason: it's good fun, but also difficult.

What's more, its makers (now the online dictionary Merriam-Webster) are also keeping it fresh in the form of a new variant called the Daily Sequence, which sees you complete four puzzles consecutively, rather than concurrently. 

But Quordle is tough, so if you already find yourself searching for Wordle hints, you'll probably need some for this game too. 

I'm a Quordle and Wordle fanatic who's been playing since December 2021, so I can definitely help you solve Quordle today and improve your game for tomorrow. Read on for my Quordle hints to game #506 and the answers to the main game and Daily Sequence. 

SPOILER WARNING: Information about Quordle today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

Quordle today (game #506) – hint #1 – Vowels

How many different vowels are in Quordle today?

The number of different vowels in Quordle today is 5*.

* Note that by vowel we mean the five standard vowels (A, E, I, O, U), not Y (which is sometimes counted as a vowel too). 

Quordle today (game #506) – hint #2 – total vowels

What is the total number of vowels in Quordle today?

The total number of vowels across today’s Quordle answers is 6.

Quordle today (game #506) – hint #3 – repeated letters

Do any of today’s Quordle answers contain repeated letters?

The number of Quordle answers containing a repeated letter today is 3.

Quordle today (game #506) – hint #4 – total letters

How many different letters are used in Quordle today?

The total number of different letters used in Quordle today is 12.

Quordle today (game #506) – hint #5 – uncommon letters

Do the letters Q, Z, X or J appear in Quordle today?

• No. None of Q, Z, X or J appear among today’s Quordle answers.

Quordle today (game #506) – hint #6 – starting letters (1)

Do any of today’s Quordle puzzles start with the same letter?

The number of today’s Quordle answers starting with the same letter is 0.

If you just want to know the answers at this stage, simply scroll down. If you're not ready yet then here's one more clue to make things a lot easier:

Quordle today (game #506) – hint #7 – starting letters (2)

What letters do today’s Quordle answers start with?

• L

• S

• V

• T

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

Quordle today (game #506) – the answers

Quordle answers for game 506 on a yellow background

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #506, are…

  • LIBEL
  • SAVVY
  • VAULT
  • TROLL

How did you do today? Send me an email and let me know.


Daily Sequence today (game #506) – the answers

Quordle Daily Sequence answers for game 506 on a yellow background

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #506, are…

  • MAJOR
  • ENSUE
  • AVAIL
  • BIRCH

Quordle answers: The past 20

  • Quordle #505, Tuesday 13 June: LOWLY, CORAL, PLANK, AMISS
  • Quordle #504, Monday 12 June: STAMP, BONEY, TRACE, CLOVE
  • Quordle #503, Sunday 11 June: QUACK, SCALP, DRIER, FOLLY
  • Quordle #502, Saturday 10 June: WRUNG, TROLL, TAKER, ELATE
  • Quordle #501, Friday 9 June: HAZEL, REACT, SPOKE, CHART
  • Quordle #500, Thursday 8 June: TRAWL, CRUDE, BRAVE, FURRY
  • Quordle #499, Wednesday 7 June: QUELL, GUISE, UNDUE, PALER
  • Quordle #498, Tuesday 6 June: BRICK, TIGHT, SHOWY, ARDOR
  • Quordle #497, Monday 5 June: STUNG, SHAPE, QUAIL, BLURT
  • Quordle #496, Sunday 4 June: GUILT, BIRTH, QUOTH, EVADE
  • Quordle #495, Saturday 3 June: BOOZE, ASKEW, REUSE, PAYEE
  • Quordle #494, Friday 2 June: FLYER, CHIME, VALID, LUMEN
  • Quordle #493, Thursday 1 June: BLAST, SKULL, VAUNT, LIEGE
  • Quordle #492, Wednesday 31 May: APRON, UNDER, ALIKE, FRUIT
  • Quordle #491, Tuesday 30 May: CADET, RIPEN, BREAD, CREED
  • Quordle #490, Monday 29 May: ANNOY, ELECT, STALE, TURBO
  • Quordle #489, Sunday 28 May: GULLY, RISEN, CHAFE, CHEAT
  • Quordle #488, Saturday 27 May: GRASS, BELCH, CROWD, SHOWN
  • Quordle #487, Friday 26 May: LOATH, MEALY, BEGAN, REUSE
  • Quordle #486, Thursday 25 May: ALARM, PAUSE, COLON, BURLY
  • Quordle #485, Wednesday 24 May: WHINY, LUSTY, NOISE, BOOTH
  • Quordle #484, Tuesday 23 May: WIDER, AWAIT, CROSS, MEATY

Quordle FAQs: Everything you need to know

What is Quordle?

Where Wordle challenges you to guess a new five-letter word each day, Quordle presents you with four puzzles to solve. And rather than complete them in turn, you do so simultaneously. You get nine guesses, rather than the six for Wordle, but the rules are otherwise very similar. 

It’s played online via the Quordle website and you can also get to it via the Merriam-Webster site, after the dictionary purchased Quordle last year

As with Wordle, the answers are the same for every player each day, meaning that you’re competing against the rest of the world. And also as with Wordle, the puzzle resets at midnight so you have a fresh challenge each day.

The website also includes a practice mode – which I definitely recommend using before attempting the game proper! – and there are daily stats including a streak count. You also get Quordle Achievements – specific badges for winning a game in a certain number of turns, playing lots of times, or guessing particularly hard words.

Oh, and it’s difficult. Really difficult.

What are the Quordle rules?

The rules of Quordle are almost identical to those of Wordle.

1. Letters that are in the answer and in the right place turn green.

2. Letters that are in the answer but in the wrong place turn yellow. 

3. Letters that are not in the answer turn gray…

4. …BUT the word you guess appears in all quadrants of the puzzle at the same time, so an A could turn green in one square, yellow in another and gray in the final two. 

5. Answers are never plural.

6. Letters can appear more than once. So if your guess includes two of one letter, they may both turn yellow, both turn green, or one could be yellow and the other green.

7. Each guess must be a valid word in Quordle’s dictionary. You can’t guess ABCDE, for instance.

8. You do not have to include correct letters in subsequent guesses and there is no equivalent of Wordle’s Hard mode.

9. You have nine guesses to find the Quordle answers.

10. You must complete the daily Quordle before midnight in your timezone.

What is a good Quordle strategy?

Quordle needs to be approached in a different way to Wordle. With four puzzles to solve in nine guesses, you can’t blindly throw letters at it and expect to win – you’ll stand a far better chance if you think strategically.

That’s the case in Wordle too, of course, but it’s even more important in Quordle.

There are two key things to remember. 

1. Use several starting words

Firstly, you won’t want just a single starting word, but almost certainly two or three starting words. 

The first of these should probably be one of the best Wordle starting words, because the same things that make them work well will apply here too. But after that, you should select another word or possibly two that use up lots more of the most common consonants and that include any remaining vowels.

For instance, I currently use STARE > DOILY > PUNCH. Between them, these three words use 15 of the 26 letters in the alphabet including all five vowels, Y, and nine of the most common consonants (S, T, R, D, L, P, N, C and H). There are plenty of other options – you might want to get an M, B, F or G in there instead of the H, maybe – but something like that should do the trick.

If all goes well, that will give you a good lead on what one or sometimes two of the answers might be. If not, well good luck!

2. Narrow things down

Secondly, if you’re faced with a word where the answer might easily be one of several options – for instance -ATCH, where it could be MATCH, BATCH, LATCH, CATCH, WATCH, HATCH or PATCH – you’ll definitely want to guess a word that would narrow down those options. 

In Wordle, you can instead try several of those in succession and hope one is right, assuming you have enough guesses left. It’s risky, but will sometimes work. Plus, it’s the only option in Hard mode. But in Quordle, this will almost certainly result in a failure – you simply don’t have enough guesses.

In the scenario above, CLAMP would be a great guess, as it could point the way to four of the seven words in one go.

TechRadar – All the latest technology news

Read More

Windows 11’s next big update could arrive today – here’s what to expect

Windows 11 might get its next big ‘Moment’ update later today, if the rumor mill is right.

That’s the prediction of one of the higher-profile Windows leakers out there on Twitter, PhantomOfEarth.

See more

Of course, this is just educated guesswork – the leaker is “pretty sure” this is the case, mind, as today is the fourth Tuesday of the month, so typically, it’d be the expected day for kicking off the rollout of Moment 3. And as we’ve already observed the upgrade is thought to be imminent, hitting the final stages of testing almost two weeks back, in fact. Microsoft is also hosting its Build 2023 event and keynote today.

As PhantomOfEarth further notes in the above tweet, if you want to get the new features bundled in Moment 3 as quickly as possible, then there’s a way to do that. Go to Windows Update settings (type it in the taskbar search box to head straight there) and switch on ‘Get the latest updates as soon as they’re available’.

If you do so, though, bear in mind that early adopters may get to dig into new features before everyone else, but they could also hit hidden bugs that weren’t stamped out in testing. These things have most certainly happened before with Windows, and will doubtless happen again – it’s a sprawling and vast piece of software, after all.

If you’re wondering what new features are available courtesy of Windows 11’s Moment 3, let’s have a quick recap.


What’s coming in Moment 3 for Windows 11?

The truth is that Moment 3 isn’t as exciting as the previous Moment released for Windows 11. Not that it doesn’t bring in a lot of stuff, it’s just that there’s no big standout ‘must-have-that’ feature.

What is good to see is a whole lot of elbow grease being put into making Windows 11 more accessible across various fronts. That includes a fair bit of work on Voice Access – controlling Windows 11 via speech (and dictating text) – with a bunch of new English dialects getting support, and the help system being revamped to be much more, erm, helpful. Live captions are being implemented in many more languages, too.

There’s also Content Adaptive Brightness Control (CABC), a feature that can be used to save power – by intelligently dimming the display – and laptop battery life. Or you can use it when your notebook is plugged in, too – that way, you’re still saving a bit of money on your electricity bill (which these days could be helpful, as it all adds up).

There’s also a revamp for the settings of Windows 11’s virtual keyboard, allowing you to better control when it pops up, and a new USB4 devices Settings page. Another of the more significant changes, at least for PCs with presence sensors – that can turn your machine on or off automatically, when you leave or return to the device – is the introduction of privacy settings for that feature. That’s definitely a beneficial addition to police which apps get access to that functionality.

Another improvement is that search will work better within the Settings app, Microsoft informs us, and there’s an absolute pile of minor tweaks. Want seconds shown in the system tray (taskbar) clock? That option is happening. Want to know if your VPN is connected at-a-glance right from the Windows 11 desktop? A new status icon in the system tray is inbound to tell you just that.

Overall, then, this is one of the more disappointing Moments in terms of major changes for Windows 11, as mentioned, but to be fair to Microsoft, there’s a lot of work under the hood here. You should be able to see the results for yourself later today, at least if the rumor mill is on the money.

This year could be a relatively quiet one for Windows 11, especially as early indications point to the annual update (23H2) also being a more low-key affair.

TechRadar – All the latest technology news

Read More

Why your usual Wordle strategy isn’t working today, according to a linguistics professor

If you’ve found today’s Wordle answer more difficult than most, you’re not alone. Puzzle #256 has proven so tough, in fact, that we’ve been live-blogging the internet’s reactions to the latest headache-inducing five-letter term. 

But why is today's answer proving trickier than others? TechRadar spoke to Dr Matthew Voice, an Assistant Professor in Applied Linguistics at the UK’s University of Warwick, to find out the science behind the struggle. 

Naturally, we’ll be divulging the solution to today’s puzzle below, so turn back now if you’re committed to weathering the latest Wordle alone. 

Ok, here goes. Today’s Wordle answer is WATCH. Yep, little old WATCH – by all accounts, a fairly simple, universally-accepted noun and verb. Don’t worry, we’re kicking ourselves too. But Professor Voice explains that there is some genuine reasoning behind why you (and we) may not have been so quick on the draw this week.

“[In your live blog] you've already talked about _ATCH as a kind of trap. This is an example of an n-gram, i.e. a group of letters of a length (n) that commonly cluster together. So this is an n-gram with a length of four letters: a quadrigram,” Professor Voice tells us. 

“Using [this] Project Gutenberg data, it's interesting to note that _ATCH isn't listed as one of the most common quadrigrams in English overall, but the [same] data considers words of all lengths, rather than just the five letters Wordle is limited to. I don't know of any corpus exclusively composed of common 5 letter words, but it might be the case that _ATCH happens to be particularly productive for that length.”

Understand your quadrigrams

“The other thing to mention,” Professor Voice adds, “would be that the quadrigram _ATCH is made up of smaller n-grams, like the bigram AT, which is extremely common in English. So we're seeing a lot of common building blocks in one word, which means that sorting individual letters might not be narrowing down people's guesses as much as it would with other words.”

So there you have it. WATCH may in fact be too simple a word, after all – so much so that your usual method of deduction doesn’t account for the myriad possible solutions. 

Here's hoping tomorrow's answer is a little more… difficult?

TechRadar – All the latest technology news

Read More