How to solve today’s Wordle.
SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
TGIF. Friday comes at last. For competitive Wordle players, it’s 2XP Friday. Double your points, good or bad, and let the chips fall where they may. Let’s dive right in and solve today’s Wordle!
Looking for Thursday’s Wordle? Check out our guide right here.
Today’s Bonus Wordle
Now that we can create our own custom Wordles, I’m including a bonus Wordle with each daily Wordle guide. These can be 4 to 7 letters long. Hopefully this is a fun extra challenge. Click the link below to play the Wordle I hand-crafted for you.
Today’s Bonus Custom Wordle is 7 letters long.
Play Puzzles & Games on Forbes
The hint: Like a canyon. Again.
The clue: This Wordle ends with a vowel.
Yesterday’s Custom Wordle Answer: RAVINE
How To Solve Today’s Wordle
How To Play Wordle
Wordle game website displayed on a phone screen is seen in this illustration photo taken in Poland on August 6, 2024. (Photo by Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
NurPhoto via Getty Images
Wordle is a daily word puzzle game where your goal is to guess a hidden five-letter word in six tries or fewer. After each guess, the game gives feedback to help you get closer to the answer:
- Green: The letter is in the word and in the correct spot.
- Yellow: The letter is in the word, but in the wrong spot.
- Gray: The letter is not in the word at all.
Use these clues to narrow down your guesses. Every day brings a new word, and everyone around the world is trying to solve the same puzzle. Some Wordlers also play Competitive Wordle against friends, family, the Wordle Bot or even against me, your humble narrator. See rules for Competitive Wordle toward the end of this post.
Today’s Wordle Hints And Answer
- Wordle Bot’s Starting Word: SLATE
- My Starting Word Today: BLADE (111 words remaining)
- The Hint: Runs fast, or drives fast, or rides fast.
- The Clue: This Wordle begins and ends with consonants.
Okay, spoilers below! The answer is coming!
.
.
.
The Answer:
Today’s Wordle
Screenshot: Erik Kain
Wordle Bot Analysis
Every day I check Wordle Bot to help analyze my guessing game. You can check your Wordle score with Wordle Bot right here.
BLADE wasn’t a bad starting word today (it gets a 93 “Skill” rating from Wordle Bot, whereas the very popular ADIEU gets something like 80). I had 111 words left and two yellow boxes, so I decided to juggle my vowels with CATER. At this point, the only word I could come up with was RACER, though I learned after the fact that PACER would have also been an option. Lucky for me, RACER was the Wordle!
Competitive Wordle Score
Today’s Wordle Bot
Screenshot: Erik Kain
Unlucky Bot had some RAMEN and was on the VERGE of success, but lost to me by 1 guess. That means I get 1 point for beating the Bot and 1 for guessing in three, while the Bot gets 0 for guessing in four and -1 for losing to me. Since it’s 2XP Friday, my 2 points = 4 points and the Bot’s -1 = -2. Ouch. Poor Bot! Our new January totals are:
Erik: 16 points
Wordle Bot: -1 points
How To Play Competitive Wordle
- Guessing in 1 is worth 3 points; guessing in 2 is worth 2 points; guessing in 3 is worth 1 point; guessing in 4 is worth 0 points; guessing in 5 is -1 points; guessing in 6 is -2 points and missing the Wordle is -3 points.
- If you beat your opponent you get 1 point. If you tie, you get 0 points. And if you lose to your opponent, you get -1 point. Add it up to get your score. Keep a daily running score or just play for a new score each day.
- Fridays are 2XP, meaning you double your points—positive or negative.
- You can keep a running tally or just play day-by-day. Enjoy!
Today’s Wordle Etymology
Racer comes from the verb race, which entered English in the early 1500s from Old Norse rās (“a rush, running”), via Scandinavian influence. Race originally meant a swift movement or course, and racer simply denotes one who races or something built for speed.
Be sure to follow me for all your daily puzzle-solving guides, TV show and movie reviews and more here on this blog!
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2026/01/15/nyt-wordle-friday/
