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Is this the hardest week in Wordle history?

March 17, 2022
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As usual, we're going to be spoiling today's Wordle answer if you read on – so make sure you've solved it first before scrolling on.

Is this the hardest week in Wordle history? If you look at Google Trends this week, with people searching for the Wordle answer, you might think that it's been almost impossibly difficult:

Today's trends data on white background — WATCH, CATER and MOVIE have all seen huge spikes of interest in the Wordle answer. (Image credit: TechRadar / Google)

If you followed that graph, and looked at the trending Twitter terms, you'd easily surmise that the WATCH, the answer last Friday, and CATER yesterday were the worst offenders – along with the tricky solution of MOVIE today.

But we spoke to Shaun Savage, editor in chief of Try Hard Guides, a site with its own dedicated Wordle solver pages, and he gave some surprising statistics:

“Today's word [MOVIE] is definitely giving people some challenge. By and far, 56% of people have figured out that the word ends in 'IE' but are struggling to think of words that fit.

“Following that, about 15% of people have figured out there's at least an O in the word. It seems like the “V” is the most difficult letter to determine!

“We aren't even seeing too many people looking for “OVIE” or “MO_IE,” so it seems many are getting 2-3 letters but getting four is a struggle.

“Our page on '5 letter words' ending in IE' was the most trafficked post this morning – a lot of people like to get ideas but, perhaps, not just get to the answer immediately, so these types of posts help clear away some fog.”

So it's clear that today's Wordle was, perhaps, one of the hardest in a while, even if it's not had the same number of players desperately searching for the answer online.

But what about the last seven days as a whole?

The hardest Wordle week ever?

Wordle guess rages — (Image credit: New York Times)

With three words this week that trended massively on Twitter (and saw massive spikes in traffic to our Wordle hints and answer page), does that mean this has been the hardest time for Wordle users yet… especially against the backdrop of accusations against NY Times making the game easier?

And while it has been a very difficult week, it appears that people are searching for Wordle answers for different reasons this week – rhyming words mean people can get to their final guess with no obvious answer:

“From our data, this week has been harder than the earlier weeks in March, though, with a good mix of reasons. _ATCH just had a lot of options and people quickly maxed out on guesses,” added Savage.

“Words like TODAY, FOCUS and SMELT all had slightly less popular letters in them; SMELT is also not a commonly used word so the 'SM' and 'LT' combinations may have been tricky.

“CATER was the same way; common letters, so many quickly found as possibilities but lots of options. MOVIE has three vowels and contains two lesser-used consonants (M and V).”

A better week ahead

It's good to hear that things have been tricky this week – we at TechRadar have had such a tough week that we've even run live blogs on the hardest puzzles to allow readers to air their thoughts on the difficulty.

We also spoke to Dr Matthew Voice, an Assistant Professor in Applied Linguistics at the UK’s University of Warwick, previously to find out why CATER was such a tough word:

“Looking back at Project Gutenberg's list of common n-grams,” Dr Voice tells us, “you can really see why getting some of [the] letters in place isn't necessarily narrowing down the possibilities. ER is the fourth most common combination of any two letters in the whole of the English language, it seems, and TER the twelfth most common combination of three.

“That said,” he adds, “I also think it's interesting to think about why 'CATER' might not seem like an immediately obvious option to everyone who's got the point of finding _ATER. The answer to this might be to do with our expectations about morphology – the way we combine together different parts of language to make new words.”

So, while it's impossible to put a full and defined metric against the difficulty of words in the current Wordle games, it seems that this week has certainly been full of a few pitfalls.

And if you're getting tired of Wordle, then try Scholardle– it's Wordle if you want to make things a lot harder.

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March 17, 2022
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Looking for another Wordle alternative? Then Queerdle may be for you. This LGBTQ+ focused word game describes itself as a “yassification of Wordle” and sees you guessing six to eight-letter words that are based on LGBTQ+ references.

Created by Jordan Bouvier, Queerdle includes words based on LGBTQ+ history, slang and sexual references (with the latter meaning it includes some NSFW words), with some of the previous words including 'Switch' and 'Frock'.

Like Wordle, Queerdle highlights in gray when you get a letter wrong, green when it's right and in the right place and yellow if it's the right letter but in the wrong place – with the word resetting every 24 hours. Unlike Wordle, however, you get six chances (one more than Wordle) to guess the word and you can suggest your own words for consideration.

If you get the word right, you'll get a pop-up that says “Shantay you stay!” (a reference to RuPaul's Drag Race), a link to find out more about the word – if it has historical importance – and the option to share your results. While Wordle results are typically shared on social media depicting green, yellow or gray squares, Queerdle's results show snakes (correct), coconuts (wrong) and bananas (right letter, wrong place).

If you guess a word that's not been registered in the system, then you'll get a notification saying: “You're pretty sharp to guess that word! A regular Derrick Barry!” (a reference to Drag Queen Derrick Barry)

You can Queerdle via its official website and on any device that can open a web browser.

Opinion: Wordle popularity continues

The daily WORDLE puzzle is seen solved on a smartphone. — (Image credit: Shutterstock / Tada Images)

Queerdle is one of many Wordle alternatives that have sprung up since the word game was released in October 2021. So far we've seen music clone Heardle, the obscene Lewdle, the more challenging Scholardle and geography-focused Worldle, to name a few.

Queerdle probably won't get as many players as the original Wordle, which around 300,000 people play daily according to the New York Times, but it's a great jumping-off point for those in and out of the LGBTQ+ community to learn more about LGBTQ+ history and slang while playing a fun word game. Not all the words are based on historical references, and there are quite a few RuPaul references in the game, but we're glad to see an LGBTQ+ friendly version Wordle alternative available.

Games like Wordle

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March 17, 2022
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You can Queerdle via its official website and on any device that can open a web browser.

Opinion: Wordle popularity continues

Games like Wordle

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March 16, 2022
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Other Wordle tips

– How to win at Wordle every day

– No, Wordle isn't getting harder

– Games like Wordle

Another day, another irksome Wordle conundrum. Like puzzle #265 before it, today’s Wordle is proving a particularly tricky beast for players around the world to reckon with – but not for the same reasons as its predecessor.

Once again, TechRadar spoke to Dr Matthew Voice, an Assistant Professor in Applied Linguistics at the UK’s University of Warwick, to find out the granular details behind puzzle #270. We also heard from Shaun Savage, Editor in Chief at Try Hard Games Guides, for more on today’s troublesome term.

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.

So, ladies and gents, today’s Wordle answer is CATER. Granted, that’s decidedly more obscure than WATCH (puzzle #265), but it’s not exactly a term that demands you dig out a dictionary.

Dr Voice explained to us last week that WATCH was a prime example of an n-gram, i.e. a group of letters of a length (n) that commonly cluster together. Again, CATER is an n-gram with a length of four letters – a quadrigram – which presents similar problems, on top of some extra word-specific difficulty.

It's all in the morphology

“Looking back at Project Gutenberg's list of common n-grams,” Dr Voice tells us, “you can really see why getting some of today's letters in place isn't necessarily narrowing down the possibilities. ER is the fourth most common combination of any two letters in the whole of the English language, it seems, and TER the twelfth most common combination of three.”

“That said,” he adds, “I also think it's interesting to think about why 'cater' might not seem like an immediately obvious option to everyone who's got the point of finding _ATER. The answer to this might be to do with our expectations about morphology – the way we combine together different parts of language to make new words.”

Morphology. Right, we’re following.

“ER is a very common bigram partly because '-er' is a highly productive suffix in English. It can be added to the end of most verbs in order to make a new noun, usually to describe someone or something doing the original verb. So 'report' becomes 'reporter' and 'play' becomes 'player', for example.”

“So we might associate an '-er' ending with nouns in particular. The data for the eleven options to fill the last slot in _ATER bears this out, too: nine of them are nouns, with one adjective ('later') and our solution, 'cater', being the only verb in the group. Players caught thinking of 'verb + -er' words might have overlooked this exception.”

So there you have it, Wordle-ers. CATER is tricking you with its sneaky bigram, which is subsequently encouraging the mind to think of 'verb + -er’ words (which, of course, does not account for the existence of ‘cater’).

This is what we learned from Shaun Savage, Editor in Chief at Try Hard Games Guides, on the matter of puzzle #270’s internet infamy: “While we definitely see more traffic on days where people need help figuring out what possible words the answer could be – with _ATER, people have a few words that likely came to mind! – we have seen the answer post trend higher in these instances, same with 'watch' and 'dodge'.”

“This past week's words haven't been too offbeat,” Savage adds. “We have seen steady traffic, but no mega surges like we have for a few words (‘vivid’ comes to mind) that are harder to figure out. The situation with _ATER, though, is that there are lots of possibilities, and all of them fit without specifically trying to eliminate more consonants.”

Well then, that's two tricky terms in the space of five days. Come on, Wordle, give us and our broken streaks a break…

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March 11, 2022
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Other Wordle tips

– How to win at Wordle every day

– No, Wordle isn't getting harder

– Games like Wordle

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?

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March 8, 2022
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Wordle, your favorite daily word-guessing game, is a solitary exercise, but it doesn't have to be. You can do it with us and our Wordle hints, which should make solving the daily brain-frustrater all the more palatable.

We won't give you the answer right upfront, of course. Instead, we'll walk you through our solution with key tips to solving it on your own along the way.

Get ready to solve Wordle #262 together with everything you need to shake you out of that letter-based fug.

A couple of quick reminders about how Wordle, which is owned by The New York Times, works. The game asks you to guess a five-letter word in six tries. Correct letter guesses appear as orange. Correct letters in their correct spot appear as green. Unless you play in “Hard Mode,” you don't have to use guessed letters in subsequent attempts.

If you don't need tips, you can jump directly to today's Wordle answer.

Daily Wordle Diary

– 5 hints and tips to easily nail today's Wordle answer (#261)

– How I solved Wordle #258 – spoilers for today's obvious-to-all-but-me answer

– How I solved Wordle #257 – spoilers for today's hard-fought answer

– How I solved Wordle #256 – getting the Y in the right place

– How I solved Wordle #255 – currency isn't a proper noun

– How I solved Wordle #254 – how S let me down

– How I solved Wordle #251 – when V is a friend and enemy

Spoiler Alert: If you do not want to know today’s Wordle answer, STOP READING IMMEDIATELY.

Tip: More letters in a single word

Never start Wordle with a double-letter word (more on that here: How to win at Wordle. ). Even if you had a dream telling you the correct answer is “FOOLS,” don't do it.

First, it's rare to guess the word on the first try (too many options), and second, you can't afford to give up valuable letter real estate. A word like “GRAND,” gives you five letter options.

Tip: Vowels and Consonants

Virtually all words have a mix of vowels, “AEIOU and sometimes Y” and consonants (all the other letters). A lot of words start with consonants like “G” but not all. Do you best, though, to mix it up. We suggest a minimum of two vowels in your first guess, but also encourage going with your first best word guess, which might only have one.

Tip: Don't panic

Zero right letters is not cause for panic. Remember, you've now ruled out five letters, three of which are key consonants. The answer possibilities have just narrowed significantly.

First word result — (Image credit: Future)

Tip: Always be ready with a new word

There are two moments in Wordle when it's time to consider a completely new word. The first is when you get zero letters right and the second is when you decide you need to collect more correct letters (or rule more out) to get much closer to the Wordle solution.

Tip: Don't reuse dead letters

Conjure all the letter combinations you can think of, but whatever you do, do not reuse one of those dismissed letters. You need a new word, preferably one with a nice mix of consonants and vowels from the remaining letter list.

Tip: Look for common letter combination

While we have no correct letters to choose from, the remainders are quite useful. Having “TH” opens a few tantalizing Wordle possibilities: “THEME” and “THOSE.” Just remember the loss of an “A” also cuts away far more possible words. Always focus on what you have.

Tip: When it's early, take the leap

Getting Wordle in two guesses will always be more a product of luck than skill. Do not waste more than a few minutes trying to guess the exact right Wordle answer. Step two is almost always a building block and should position you to guess in three – if you're lucky.

Second word guess — (Image credit: Future)

Tip: Really pay attention to what you have

The odds are that the second guess will give your at least two letters (or three, as you see here) to play with. Your third guess is not the place to rush it.

Tip: It really does matter where letters don't belong

The great thing about Wordle is that it really is telling you something when you get it wrong. An orange letter is both the right letter, but it's also telling you that it belongs anywhere but that space. Subsequent guesses about placement will give you more insight. Knowing where things don't belong is more than half the Wordle battle.

Second word result — (Image credit: Future)

Tip: It's okay to double up in three

There have been many double letter word answers in Wordle, and in the third guess, trying a double letter is a worthwhile risk.

It's also a calculated one because letters and positions that have been excluded narrow the possibilities. In this case, the “T” can no longer sit at the front of the word. We know “S” is in there and it's a fairly common start letter. We've also lost the vowels “A” and “O,” which again tightens the focus on E.

Tip: Don't forget common letter combinations

We talked about “TH” above, which we lost when “H” was moved off the board. There's still an “E” and an “I.” These two letters which often appear as “IE” but not always, could sit in the middle of your word. Try out the combinations in your head.

Tip: Always make progress

Do your best to build on successes and let letter failures guide you as well. Starting over after three guesses is almost never the way to go.

Tip: Three or more correct letters means you solve offline, first

Three correct Wordle letters in the right place is your golden opportunity to solve in four. Never rush to answer. Try letter combinations in your head and on the board. Just don't hit enter until you are at least 90% certain.

Tip: Embrace the educated guess

It's always worth going through all your remaining letters to ensure they cannot fit in your open spaces. There are often two or more viable Wordle answers. In this case, because we still have “L” and “W” to choose from, “SWEEP” or “SLEEP” would work.

The choice between the two words is difficult. Going with our gut, says, “SLEEP.”

Tip: Pay attention

A dumb mistake, like missing the fact that the “P” is out and the “T” is in can cost you a turn and lead you to incorrect guess.

[Author's note: This was totally done to show you a worst-case scenario. You're welcome.]

Tip: Go with the obvious

The options here are limited to, essentially “SKEET” and “SWEET.” They both real and viable words, but “SKEET” is less common (how many people still skeet shoot?) and, well, we all know “sweet.”

Tip: No one celebrates a “solved in five”

Take the win, but perhaps don't share it.

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March 7, 2022
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Worlde is a fun word game, but it isn't necessarily easy. Sometimes, we need a little help. Consider me your Wordle Yoda. I want to help you solve the Wordle answer #261.

What follows is a hint-based guide that can help you get off to a good Wordle start, get unstuck, or take you all the way to an early win. How you use my hints and tips is up to you.

Wordle, which is now owned by The New York Times, asks you to guess a five-letter word in six tries. Correct letter guesses appear as orange. Correct letters in their correct spot appear as green. Unless you play in “Hard Mode,” you don't have to use guessed letters in subsequent attempts.

For those who don't want my help – just answers – you can check out today's Wordle answer. I bet, though, you return here for more of my sage guidance.

Daily Wordle Diary

– How I solved Wordle #258 – spoilers for today's obvious-to-all-but-me answer

– How I solved Wordle #257 – spoilers for today's hard-fought answer

– How I solved Wordle #256 – getting the Y in the right place

– How I solved Wordle #255 – currency isn't a proper noun

– How I solved Wordle #254 – how S let me down

– How I solved Wordle #251 – when V is a friend and enemy

What I teach here is not the one method for every Wordle win. Instead, we'll build a toolkit. Part of your training is understanding the difference between vowels and consonants, and why certain combinations of the two make more sense (or less) than others.

I'll teach you how to look, with more of an analytical eye, at what you've gained and lost in each turn. Remember, every guess matters – even the bad ones.

Feel free to share this guidance with others – if you want them to beat you at Wordle.

Spoiler Alert: If you do not want to know today’s Wordle answer, STOP READING IMMEDIATELY.

A fresh start

Over the weekend, I only Wordled on Saturday (solved in four), trying to preserve my brain strength for a strong start today. I also learned that my wife starts her games almost the same way as I do: with a word that “just comes to me.”

She's struggled with some of the same words as I have but has been known to “solve-in-three,” more frequently than me. Perhaps she should be writing this diary.

If learned anything last week (#258 “AHEAD), it's to slow down and, relax. I can get pretty tense when solving a Wordle, especially as I try to give you a play-by-play.

The mantra for today is deep breaths.

The Wordle Game Board — (Image credit: Future)

1. Choosing the right first word

Your biggest leap will always be that first word. I can choose any five-letter word but, generally, dismiss anything with double letters, as per our guide on how to win at Wordle.

There are two goals: Get as many correct letters in the right spots as possible and miraculously guess the word on the first try. Thus far, I've never accomplished the latter.

While I want to practice patience and not leap to any word choice conclusions, I do have a start word ready to go: WEIRD. I know, why that word?

1) It popped into my head

2) It has two vowels (“E” and “I”)

3) I like the “D,” it has potential

4) I don't often try “W”

5) It's as good as any other word

2. RD is in the right place

Not terrible. It's not often I get two letters correct and in the correct position on the first guess. On the other hand, there are A LOT of words that end with “RD.”

I may have my work cut out for me.

If I decide to go with Wordle's Hard Mode restrictions (I'm not officially playing in that mode), I'd have to use “RD” in my next guess. Knowing which letters are now excluded, though – “WEI” – I might attempt a full-blown guess.

3. It's time to consider new vowels

I feel like I'm in a great position here. The two letters at the end give me a solid direction, as does the exclusion of two vowels and that “W.”

I scan my remaining letters for a couple of minutes and spot the “B.” Almost immediately a word pops into my head: BOARD. It's a good choice because it's all-new letters and even if I'm wrong, I've excluded one-to-three more letters and am in a better position for my third guess.

I hit “Enter.”

4. _OARD is nearly there

You would think having four letters in the right spot would be a golden ticket to “solved-in-three.” it should be, but there may be more than a few words that look like this: _OARD.

5. It has to start with a consonant… but which?

I quickly realize that there aren't that many options here. I try to follow my new mantra of pausing, taking a breath, and not leaping to any conclusions. I want this done in three.

The start letter must be a consonant. I have quite a few to choose from – “P,” “S,” “F,” “G,” and more. As you might've noticed, none of them work. “H” does.

I type in “HOARD” and confidently hit “Enter.”

Third word guess — (Image credit: Future)

Done in three… or four

Look, I'm not gonna lie. Getting Wordle #261 in three was equal parts savvy and luck. I started off strong and had an excellent second guess. Basically, I was a letter away from getting it in the mythical two.

Time to go celebrate but not HOARD my winnings.

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March 4, 2022
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Welcome back to my weekday Wordle Answer Diary, where I take you step-by-step through my own Wordle puzzle efforts. In this entry, we're tackling today's Wordle #258.

For those unfamiliar with Wordle (in which case, kudos for getting here), The New York Times’ (recently-purchased) daily word game asks you to guess a five-letter word in six tries. Simple right?

If you just want to skip to today's Wordle answer, (and yes, we have a page to do just that), you can depart right now. But what would be the fun in that?

Daily Wordle Diary

– How I solved Wordle #257 – spoilers for today's hard-fought answer

– How I solved Wordle #256 – getting the Y in the right place

– How I solved Wordle #255 – currency isn't a proper noun

– How I solved Wordle #254 – how S let me down

– How I solved Wordle #251 – when V is a friend and enemy

If you want to preserve your streak and learn how to get better at Wordle, you'll need to make smart choices and understand the tactics that can take you from a “Winning in Five” to a “Solved in Three” kind of Wordle player.

The guide below includes how I make my guesses and images of my work. When I make a mistake, you'll see it. Maybe it'll help you avoid some of your own.

Let's Wordle together.

Spoiler Alert: If you do not want to know today’s Wordle answer, STOP READING IMMEDIATELY.

Begin again

A reader asked me this week if I always start with the same word or do I “mix it up?” As evidenced by yesterday's dream-inspired opening, I mix it up any way I can. Inspiration can come from dreams, conversations, something I read, really anywhere where the lingua franca includes five-letter English words.

Getting “MOURN” in four (Wordle #257) felt splendid. I still yearn for the solved-in-three or genius-level “got-it-in-two,” but I know I used best practices to whittle down my options to a sad-sounding answer.

Seeing the words

Your biggest leap will always be that first word. I can choose any five-letter word but, generally, dismiss anything with double letters, as per our guide on how to win at Wordle.

There are two goals: Get as many correct letters in the right spots as possible and miraculously guess the word on the first try. Thus far, I've never accomplished the latter.

Getting ready for work, I start preparing to think of my first word when one pops into my head: ALIGN. It's not a special five-letter term, but has my favored balance of two vowels and three consonants.

I don't even hesitate, typing it in and hitting “Enter” in six, quick strokes.

One at a time

It's a little early to start cursing in the morning, but what the heck? One letter? Fine, it's an “A” properly placed in position one, but one letter means it would be a miracle if I guessed the right word in this next round.

At this point, I'm so desperate for more letters that I will probably try a new set of five. Remember, if I were playing in Wordle's Hard Mode I would have to use the “A.”

Making choices

I know, I planned on using all new letters, but I had a tiny inspiration and, even if I do reuse the “A,” I get four new letter options, anyway. This way, if I happen to guess right with “ATOMS”, I get Wordle in two! Listen, a Wordler can dream.

There is a risk, though, in using “ATOMS.” I do not recall Wordle liking plural words, certainly not over singulars that do not rely on the “S” to make it to five letters.

I pause and rethink this strategy. “APPLE,” I realize is another solid possibility. It even has that double letter Wordle so loves. So does “AWAKE,” but it separates the “A's.”

I also realize that Wordle might've used one of these words already, but if I search on Google for those answers, I might accidentally see today's Wordle answer. I just can't risk it.

It takes me a few beats to realize that “APPLE” is impossible. I already ruled out “L” as an included letter.

Time to commit to “ATOMS.” I hit “Enter.”

Smaller result than an Atom

Uh oh. That was bad. On the bright side, I've now ruled out eight letters, six consonants, and two vowels. I've made little progress on the board but do have more information to work with. Having the correct letter upfront is a big help.

A is still the key

It's pretty much a lock that the next letter after “A” is a consonant, and we have a lot of choices. “AWAKE” fits but I really worry it's been used in a previous Wordle game. If I'm wrong, it's not a great guess because I wasted a second “A” on a new letter space.

Having just two vowels left – “E” and “I” – limits my choices. There is the sometimes-vowel “Y” and that could sit neatly in the middle or end of this word.

Every once in a while, Wordle goes crazy with a double-double, meaning a word with two sets of double letters. I'm thinking of “ARRAY.”

AWAKE or ARRAY, which way do I go?

In the end, I try ARRAY.

[Enter]

Middling result

Clearly, I have no idea what I'm doing. I've got two “A's” but only managed to eliminate “R” and “Y.”

Third word result — (Image credit: Future)

Slow it down

Rushing is not working. I've decided to take a quick break to think about what I have.

I highly recommend virtually Wordling in the shower. It's the perfect place to play out possible word combinations. On the other hand, I still have no idea what word to enter.

Clearly, I'm looking for a consonant right after that initial “A,” but the combination of “PH” is not going to work. “APHA” goes nowhere.

“AQUA” combination seems promising, but there's no remaining letter that will make an English language word. Even “APEA” gets me nowhere without that “R” to place at the end.

I need more letters and realize it's time for a new word so I can collect more letters and eliminate some, as well. There is no way I'm getting this in less than five now.

I resort to making a word that has four new letters and one eliminated one. It also reflects how I feel.

Seriously?

Four guesses in and I have three letters (“A” counts twice). Can you spell “disaster?”

The word

Of course, the answer smacks me right between the eyes. I'm pretty sure there isn't another word that can accommodate “AH_A_” when you have only one other vowel left, “E,” and ten consonants to choose from.

I move “AHEAD” with my guess.

Yes, right, “Great!” Maybe that should've been obvious to me sooner but sometimes you just can't see it.

Don't be like me. Get it in four, or three.

See you next week.

Fifth word result — (Image credit: Future)

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March 3, 2022
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Welcome back to my weekday Wordle Answer Diary, where I take you step-by-step through my own Wordle puzzle efforts. In this entry, we're tackling today's Wordle #257.

For those unfamiliar with Wordle (in which case, kudos for getting here), The New York Times’ (recently-purchased) daily word game asks you to guess a five-letter word in six tries. Simple right?

If you just want to skip to today's Wordle answer, (and yes, we have a page to do just that), you can depart right now. But what would be the fun in that?

Daily Wordle Diary

– How I solved Wordle #256 – getting the Y in the right place

– How I solved Wordle #255 – currency isn't a proper noun

– How I solved Wordle #254 – how S let me down

– How I solved Wordle #251 – when V is a friend and enemy

You want to preserve your streak and learn how to get better at Wordle, which means making smart choices and understanding the tactics that can take you from a “Winning in Five” to a “Solved in Tree” kind of Wordle player.

The guide below includes how I make my guesses and images of my work. When I make a mistake, you'll see it. Maybe it'll help you avoid some of your own.

Let's Wordle together.

Spoiler Alert: If you do not want to know today’s Wordle answer, STOP READING IMMEDIATELY.

All bets are off

Yesterday's Wordle (Wordle #256) was nasty. No, I mean the answer was “NASTY,” but the process of solving it was relatively straightforward. I didn't have any big, “What have I done?” moments.

It would be nice to get today's game in three, though. To do so, I may have to abandon the strategy of guessing a completely new word (all new letters) in the second round. That will require me making a much, much better first guess.

So just how deep am I into this Weekday Wordle Diary? I woke up thinking of five-letter words. They just appeared in m mind, unbidden. Before long, I'll be speaking in nothing but five-letter words.

Dreaming of the right words

Your biggest leap will always be that first word. I can choose any five-letter word but, generally, dismiss anything with double letters, as per our guide on how to win at Wordle.

There are two goals: Get as many correct letters in the right spots as possible and miraculously guess the word on the first try. Thus far, I've never accomplished the latter.

As I mentioned above, I had a few start words in mind when I got out of bed: “ORGAN,” “DIRTY,” and “FLICK.” They almost all lean heavily on the consonant side, which is never my preference, but at least there are no repeating letters.

I settle on “ORGAN” for the “O” and “A” possibilities.

Hat trick

Maybe I should sleep on Wordle more often. Three letters on the first guess is a pretty good result, and one of them is even in the right place.

With just two letters left, you might think I was in a prime position to guess Wordle in two. Maybe. It's enough material that I wonder if I can make an educated guess here and not resort to a letter collection/letter dismissal guess.

As I like to remind you, I couldn't even consider trying a word with all new letters if I were playing in Wordle's Hard Mode. This time, though, I want to see if I can cook up the right word on try two.

Making choices

While I'd like to believe that “O” and “R” automatically move from the first to spots to the second two, nestling up against that “I found my home” “N,” but I know that's probably not right. My solution could start with the consonant “R” or the vowel “O” could move to the second slot.

These are good letter options, though. How many five-letter words have “O,” “R,” and “N” in them?

In my head, I start word-wheeling through “RO”_ _”N” combinations. Rather quickly, I land on “ROBIN.”

I can't recall if Worlde has ever had an animal answer. Is the name of a bird type the kind of word Wordle would accept, like “CHAIR?” Maybe, maybe not, but it is a word that will both eliminate two more letters and give me a better clue about where “R” and “O” belong.

A flightless bird

That did not go well. Zero new letters. At least I know the location of the “O” and have eliminated one more sport for the wandering “R.” Still, that was a tough blow, as I don't think I made much progress.

Maybe I went too fast on that guess. I have three letters and a lot of thinking to do. Here's what I don't know: The first letter of the word. What I do know is that its selection is driven by the O. That vowel needs a strong consonant in front of it.

When I think of words, it's always nice to realize that most English word pronunciations (but not all – looking at you, silent vowels) make sense and will be something you can easily say in a normal conversation.

A guess that goes nowhere

I find myself back at “T.” A lot of words start with “T,” pairing it with the “O” makes sense. I quickly type in “TOKEN” and like how it looks. “Has that word been used before?”

Maybe it has, but guess what? It doesn't have an “R” in it. I'm more tired than I think.

“TORUN” is a word meaning grandchild, granddaughter, grandson, but that's just the kind of obscure word The New York Times scrubbed from Wordle when they bought it. Still, I am much further from a solution than I thought and may need to use it to get the answer in four.

Turns out even Wordle doesn't recognize it as a word. The whole board shakes to indicate the rejection. I still have a chance at three.

Stuck at three

I am convinced that a hard consonant sits in the middle of this word. It's driving all my guesses. Also realizing that a vowel must come before the “N” at the end. With only a handful of vowels left, I'm struggling to figure this one out in three. But I refuse to give up.

[Time passes]

I shaved, took a shower, and returned to this problem-child word. I think it's time to try a different word with all new letters. I need a spark and doing a billion letter combos in my head and those I put in Wordle but do not commit to with an “Enter” is not working. It seems the “R” in space 3 or 4 is what's really throwing me.

Feeling slightly defeated, I go with “SERUM.” It has the benefit of new letters, but also the answer to exactly where “R” belongs. Bye, guess number 3.

All the letters

This worked out better than I thought. Not only do I now know the “R” must be in the fourth spot, but I collected the final two letters, “U” and “M.”

Because I know where “O,” “R,” and “N” must be, the answer is obvious: “MOURN.”

Fourth word guess — (Image credit: Future)

Buried this one

Yes, I'm a little sad I couldn't solve this in three tries, but nothing I had lit up my brain. Had I not tried a new word combo, but with that key “R” letter, ” I might've wasted a guess on a completely wrong answer that included the letters I had, but with the wrong letter companions.

I won't “MOURN” the end of this round.

See you tomorrow.

Fourth word result — (Image credit: Future)

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March 2, 2022
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Welcome back to my weekday Wordle Answer Diary, where I take you step-by-step through my own Wordle puzzle efforts. In this entry, we're tackling Today's Wordle #256.

For those unfamiliar with Wordle, The New York Times’ (recently-purchased) daily word game asks you to guess a five-letter word in six tries. Simple right?

If you just want to skip to the today's Wordle answer, (and yes, we have a page to do just that), you can depart right now. But what would be the fun in that?

Daily Wordle Diary

– How I solved Wordle #255 – currency isn't a proper noun

– How I solved Wordle #254 – how S let me down

– How I solved Wordle #251 – when V is a friend and enemy

The guide below includes how I make my guesses and images of my work. When I make a mistake, you'll see it. Maybe it'll help you avoid some of your own.

Let's Wordle together.

Spoiler Alert: If you do not want to know today’s Wordle answer, STOP READING IMMEDIATELY.

All bets are off

This game is increasingly starting to feel like a daily edition of “Is that even a word?”

Four tries to solve Wordle is respectable, but where did they even get yesterday's solution of RUPEE (Wordle 255)?

Still, if there's one thing I've learned about Wordle over these months is that it's not Groundhog Day, a banal repetition that ends in the same result. Every day is literally a different word.

They might start the same (your favorite opening word) but it will wildly veer off the path after that. It's why I still love Wordle.

Chastened by a rough go of it yesterday, I head back to the board, ready to guide you and me through what I hope will be a better Wordle journey.

The first word and a good start

Your biggest leap will always be that first word. I can choose any five-letter word but, generally, dismiss anything with double letters, as per our guide on how to win at Wordle.

There are two goals: Get as many correct letters in the right spots as possible and miraculously guess the word on the first try. Thus far, I've never accomplished the latter.

A word pops into my head: “RACES.” I know, it's perilously close to “FACES,” but I like that not only do I get a pair of decent vowels, there are three really solid consonants in there that could start a word, fill its middle, or anchor the end.

Since this is the jump-off point, I'll get right to the result.

Two letters always sting of defeat, but that one of them is in the right spot (green!) cheers me. That “A” is like a strong root that goes deep in the Wordle ground. We now know the Wordle solution is an open-sounding word, likely with a plosive consonant right before it. On the other hand, that correct “S” doesn't belong there and could slide right to the front.

Solve or build

If you're like me, your second Wordle attempt is an important fork in the road. Two letters, especially one in the right spot, is a decent foundation, but if we're being honest here, it's not enough to make even an educated guess.

Seriously, I want to guess. One word that popped into my head is “TASKS.” Wordle's penchant for double letters is well known, but a simple pluralization does feel out of character.

So this is the choice we face: Make a guess or gather more letters with something completely different (a tactic not possible in Wordle's Hard Mode, which forces you to use letters guessed accurately in subsequent guesses).

In the end, I go with WOUND to collect one or two more letters and try for the “done in three” guess.

Little progress

Gathering just a single letter in the wrong spot is somewhat crushing.

I know have “A,” “S,” and “N” to work with. Glad I didn't go with 'TASKS.”

The word in question could start with an “S,” but with the “A” locked in that second slot, all the “ST” words are out of the running. I still have a feeling about “T” and that it belongs at the start. If that's the case, though, we have something that sounds like “TANS…” And that's not adding up to much of a word.

This is, as always, the moment for deep thought and off-board word-jumbles. I may start typing a letter combo on the Wordle board but won't commit until I feel confident I'm one “Enter” away from winning.

By the way, yes, I see the “SANTA” possibility, but Wordle generally doesn't use proper names as solutions.

Deep breaths

Here I go with another double-letter word combo. “NASAL.”

There is a reason to fear the double letter attempt: You use up a valuable letter-learning position. Still I have a feeling.

Good news, bad news

It's rare to guess three letters in the correct positions and still fail to solve Today's Wordle. I should be pleased, but feel defeated. It's been so long since I've “Solved in Three.”

Double letters are now less likely, and I am glad I didn't follow my “T” start heart. However, the notion of a “T” puts another five-letter word in my head: “NASTY.”

It's a good word, right? But before I commit, I work through other possible letter combinations. “NAS” significantly cuts down the permutations, especially since I no longer have the whole alphabet to work with.

After a couple of minutes, though, I see that nothing else really makes sense.

I hit “Enter.”

Fourth word attempt — (Image credit: Future)

A calculated win

Well, look at that, I was right about “T” all along.

This is how it should go. Sure, some may criticize me because I couldn't Wordle in Three, but I know that I took the right path. An earlier solution would've been more luck than skill, right?

See you tomorrow.

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A fresh start

1. Choosing the right first word

2. RD is in the right place

3. It's time to consider new vowels

4. _OARD is nearly there

5. It has to start with a consonant… but which?

Done in three… or four

Begin again

Seeing the words

One at a time

Making choices

Smaller result than an Atom

A is still the key

Middling result

Slow it down

Seriously?

The word

All bets are off

Dreaming of the right words

Hat trick

Making choices

A flightless bird

A guess that goes nowhere

Stuck at three

All the letters

Buried this one

All bets are off

The first word and a good start

Solve or build

Little progress

Deep breaths

Good news, bad news

A calculated win