The useful move is to turn every colored tile into information, remove letters you know are wrong, and use each new word to reduce the number of realistic answers.
This guide gives you the answer only when you want it, then shows you how to solve future puzzles with a repeatable method. You'll learn how to choose a first word, what to do after a poor opening, how to handle yellow letters, when duplicate letters deserve attention, and how to escape those frustrating situations where several words look correct.
Quick answer
A strong Wordle approach has two stages. First, gather useful information with broad letter coverage. Later, stop searching for new letters and focus on separating the remaining possible answers.
If you remember only one rule, remember this: early guesses should reduce uncertainty, while late guesses should identify the answer.
Table of Contents
- Wordle Today: Hints, Clues and Answer
- How Wordle Works
- The Best Way to Solve Wordle
- Best Wordle Starter Words
- How to Choose Your Second Guess
- How to Handle Double Letters
- Wordle Hard Mode Strategy
- Wordle Mistakes That Waste Guesses
- Wordle Strategy for Beginners
- Strategy for Experienced Players
- Today's Wordle Solving Logic
- Quick Wordle Checklist
- Wordle FAQs
Wordle Today: Hints, Clues and Answer
Need a nudge without spoiling the puzzle? Start with the first clues. Open the answer only when you're ready.
Today's Wordle at a glance
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Today's clues
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Reveal today's Wordle answer
Today's answer
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Before you reveal the answer
Try using the clues first. A good hint should help you make a better guess, not remove the puzzle from the game.
Wordle gives players six attempts to identify a hidden five-letter word. The daily puzzle is part of The New York Times Games collection.
How Wordle Works
Wordle gives you six attempts to find a hidden five-letter answer. After each guess, the colored tiles tell you which letters deserve another look.
| Tile | What it means | Your next move |
|---|---|---|
| Green | The letter is correct and sits in the correct position. | Keep the letter in the same position. |
| Yellow | The letter appears in the answer but sits in the wrong position. | Move the letter to another position. |
| Gray | The letter does not belong in the answer, subject to duplicate-letter rules. | Remove the letter from your remaining possibilities. |
Why the colors matter more than the guess
A first guess isn't valuable because it looks like a likely answer. Its main value comes from the information it creates.
Five different letters give you five opportunities to learn something. A repeated letter uses two spaces to test the same character, so repeated letters are usually less useful in an opening guess.
Watch out for duplicate letters
A gray tile beside a yellow or green copy of the same letter doesn't always mean the letter is absent. Wordle accounts for how many copies of a letter appear in the answer.
The Best Way to Solve Wordle
Strong solving follows a simple progression. Start broad, use the feedback, narrow the pattern, then stop testing letters once the remaining possibilities become small.
1. Open with broad letter coverage
Your first word should usually contain five different letters. Two useful vowels plus several common consonants give you a strong starting point.
SLATE, CRANE, CRATE, TRACE and STARE are familiar examples. None guarantees a quick solve, but each gives broad coverage without wasting a position on a repeated letter.
2. Separate confirmed letters from eliminated letters
After the first guess, divide your information into three groups: confirmed positions, confirmed letters in the wrong position, and eliminated letters.
This sounds simple, but many failed guesses happen because players remember the green letters and forget one of the gray letters.
3. Move yellow letters before adding unnecessary repeats
A yellow letter already belongs to the answer. Your job is to find its position. Move it while testing fresh letters in the remaining spaces.
4. Use the second guess to shrink the candidate list
Your second word should respond to the first result. Don't use the same second word every day regardless of what the board shows.
If the first guess gives you almost nothing, test several unused common letters. If the first guess gives you a strong pattern, start working inside that pattern.
5. Change strategy once the board becomes narrow
Early in the puzzle, information is more valuable than certainty. Late in the puzzle, certainty becomes more valuable than information.
The two-stage rule
Stage 1: Find useful letters and positions.
Stage 2: Separate the remaining possible answers.
A player who keeps using Stage 1 tactics late in the game often wastes guesses.
Best Wordle Starter Words
There isn't one opening word every player needs to use. The best choice depends on whether you want a familiar word, strong vowel coverage, common consonants, or mathematical efficiency.
| Starter | Why it works | Best use |
|---|---|---|
| SLATE | Two vowels and three useful consonants with no repeated letters. | Balanced everyday play |
| CRANE | Tests C, R, N, A and E in one guess. | Broad consonant coverage |
| CRATE | Combines common consonants with A and E. | Players who like R and T early |
| TRACE | Offers a strong mix of common letters without repeats. | Information-focused play |
| STARE | Tests S, T, R, A and E while keeping the word familiar. | Simple everyday opener |
| RAISE | Tests several useful vowels alongside R and S. | Vowel discovery |
| SALET | A mathematical analysis identified it as an exceptionally efficient opening word under its tested model. | Statistical optimization |
SLATE vs. CRANE vs. STARE
For most players, the difference between these familiar openers is small. The bigger advantage comes from how well you respond to the result.
SLATE gives you S, L, A, T and E. CRANE gives you C, R, A, N and E. STARE gives you S, T, A, R and E.
If you prefer R because you often look for common endings such as -ER, STARE or CRANE might feel more useful. If you prefer a broad mix without R, SLATE remains a strong choice.
Our practical pick
Use SLATE, CRANE or STARE if you want a familiar opening word with broad coverage. Don't keep switching between ten different openers in search of a tiny statistical edge. Consistent reasoning matters more.
Mathematical research provides a useful contrast. An MIT analysis identified SALET as the optimal starting word under its tested model, with an average solution length of roughly 3.421 guesses. SALET is less familiar to everyday players, which makes the distinction between mathematical efficiency and practical play worth understanding.
How to Choose Your Second Word
The second guess should depend on the first result. A fixed second word ignores information you already earned.
If almost everything is gray
Use the second guess to test fresh letters. Avoid bringing several eliminated letters back into play.
If one letter is yellow
Move the yellow letter to a different position. Use the other spaces to test common letters you have not checked.
If several letters are yellow
You already know a large part of the answer's letter set. Focus on arranging those letters while testing the positions you have not confirmed.
If you have a green letter
Keep the green position fixed. Use the remaining spaces to test letters that separate your strongest candidate words.
Don't guess from the pattern alone
A pattern such as _ R A _ E might suggest one obvious answer. Wordle often leaves several valid words fitting the same structure. Check the eliminated letters before committing.
How to Handle Double Letters in Wordle
Duplicate letters create some of the most confusing boards. A player sees one yellow letter, repeats the letter in another position, then receives gray and assumes the game has contradicted itself.
The issue is letter count. If the answer contains one copy of a letter and your guess uses two, Wordle doesn't award both copies as if two letters existed in the solution.
When should you test a repeated letter?
Usually, not during the opening guess. Five different letters give broader information.
Start considering a duplicate when your confirmed pattern supports one, when several alternative words have been eliminated, or when the color feedback indicates another copy is plausible.
- Don't assume every answer has unique letters.
- Don't test duplicates early without a reason.
- Pay attention when one copy is colored and another is gray.
- Recheck the letter count when the board seems contradictory.
Simple duplicate-letter rule
Don't hunt for double letters. Let the board give you a reason to look for one.
Wordle Hard Mode Strategy
Hard Mode changes the value of every clue because discovered letters must remain part of later guesses. You have fewer opportunities to test unrelated letters.
Use yellow letters aggressively
A yellow letter tells you two things: the letter belongs in the answer, and the tested position is wrong. Move the letter while respecting your other clues.
Protect green letters
Once a letter turns green, keep its position. The main challenge becomes filling the remaining spaces.
Think about candidate separation
Hard Mode becomes difficult when several words share the same pattern. Your next valid guess needs to help distinguish between those candidates.
Hard Mode mindset
Every previous clue is a restriction. Don't treat the restrictions as obstacles. Use them to shrink the list of possible answers.
7 Wordle Mistakes That Waste Guesses
- Starting with repeated letters. Your opening word has limited space. Five different letters usually provide more information.
- Ignoring yellow letters. Yellow means the letter belongs in the answer. Only the position is wrong.
- Reusing gray letters without a reason. Eliminated letters rarely deserve another slot during the information-gathering stage.
- Guessing the first answer that comes to mind. Familiar patterns often match several valid words.
- Using too many vowels in the first guess. Vowels matter, but sacrificing useful consonants reduces your overall coverage.
- Testing the same information repeatedly. A new guess should add something useful.
- Forgetting position. Knowing a letter belongs in the answer isn't enough. You also need to identify where it fits.
Wordle Strategy for Beginners
New players don't need probability tables or a giant five-letter dictionary. A consistent process is enough to improve quickly.
- Start with five different letters.
- Use two useful vowels when the word allows it.
- Keep every green letter in place.
- Move yellow letters to untested positions.
- Remove gray letters from your candidate list.
- Use the second guess to test useful unused letters.
- Once the pattern becomes narrow, focus on solving instead of gathering more information.
A perfect opening word doesn't rescue poor decision-making. A sensible opening followed by careful clue management often produces a better result.
Wordle Strategy for Experienced Players
Once the basic method feels natural, start thinking about candidate groups. This matters most when several possible answers remain.
Stop asking which word looks best
Instead, ask which word gives you the most useful distinction between the remaining candidates.
Use an information guess when needed
Suppose three possible answers remain and you have two guesses left. A word unlikely to be the answer might still be the right move if it tests letters that separate those three candidates.
Position becomes more important late in the game
Letter frequency helps early. Letter position becomes more useful as the board narrows.
For example, once you know the answer ends with D and contains O and U, testing another common vowel might provide little value. Finding where O and U fit becomes the stronger question.
The late-game question
Don't ask, "Which word feels right?"
Ask, "Which remaining word satisfies every clue?"
Today's Wordle Solving Logic
Today's puzzle is a good example of why structural clues matter. The current daily data identifies a five-letter answer with its own letter pattern, vowel count and repeated-letter status.
| Stage | What you're trying to learn | Best decision |
|---|---|---|
| Guess 1 | Which common letters appear? | Use broad coverage. |
| Guess 2 | Where do the useful letters belong? | Move yellow letters and test fresh ones. |
| Middle game | Which candidate words still fit? | Remove impossible patterns. |
| Late game | Which candidate is left? | Choose the word satisfying every clue. |
What today's puzzle teaches
The useful lesson isn't the answer itself. The lesson is knowing when to stop searching for new letters. Once the pattern becomes strong enough, solving the candidate set matters more than broad exploration.
More Helpful Guides From ComfortSkillz
If you play Wordle and other games on Android, our guide to offline Android games covers puzzle and casual options for times when an internet connection isn't available.
If you're having trouble installing or updating a game on Android, our Google Play Store guide covers installation, updates, country changes and common Play Store problems.
For information about how ComfortSkillz approaches accuracy, testing and editorial review, see our About Us page .
Quick Wordle Checklist Before Every Guess
Ask these seven questions
- Which letters are definitely green?
- Which letters are yellow?
- Where have the yellow letters already been tested?
- Which letters are gray?
- Could duplicate letters explain the feedback?
- Am I gathering information or trying to solve?
- Will this guess reduce the number of realistic possibilities?
If you follow those questions before each guess, your play becomes deliberate. You stop guessing because a word feels familiar and start guessing because the board supports the move.
Wordle FAQs
What is the best starting word for Wordle?
SLATE, CRANE, CRATE, TRACE and STARE are strong practical starters because they combine common letters without repeating characters. Mathematical research has also identified SALET as an efficient opening under a specific statistical model.
Is SLATE better than CRANE?
Both are strong choices. The difference is small enough for most players that the quality of your follow-up guess matters more than switching between the two every day.
Should I start Wordle with AUDIO or ADIEU?
Both test several vowels quickly, but they use fewer common consonants. If your goal is broad information from one guess, a balanced opener such as SLATE or CRANE is usually more useful.
What should I guess after getting mostly gray letters?
Use a fresh word containing several useful letters you haven't tested. Avoid filling your second guess with letters already ruled out.
Should I use the same Wordle starter every day?
A fixed starter gives you a consistent process. A rotating starter keeps the game less predictable. If your goal is consistent performance, using one strong opener is a sensible choice.
Why does Wordle sometimes show a gray duplicate letter?
Wordle accounts for how many copies of a letter appear in the answer. If your guess contains more copies than the answer, an extra occurrence might receive a gray tile.
What is the best strategy for Wordle Hard Mode?
Treat green and yellow letters as restrictions. Keep green letters fixed, move yellow letters to new positions, and select each new word from the candidates still allowed by your clues.
When does the Wordle puzzle reset?
Wordle resets at midnight according to the player's local time zone. If you're comparing puzzle numbers with articles published in another time zone, check the puzzle number as well as the calendar date.
The Wordle Strategy Worth Remembering
You don't need to memorize hundreds of five-letter words to become better at Wordle. You need to make each guess do useful work.
Start with broad letter coverage. Read every color. Remove letters you have ruled out. Move yellow letters. Protect green positions. Treat duplicate letters carefully. When several answers remain, choose the guess that separates them.
The simplest routine is: gather information early, narrow the pattern in the middle, and solve with precision at the end.