How to solve today’s Wordle.
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It’s Monday, again, and my whole body is tired. I need to get a long night’s sleep. Twelve hours might do the trick. No rest for the wicked, alas, for we have puzzles to solve. Let’s knock out today’s Wordle!
Looking for Sunday’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 6 letters long.
The hint: A delicious baked good.
The clue: Also a type of mythical creature.
Yesterday’s Custom Wordle Answer: WYVERN
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: POUTY (809 words left)
- The Hint: Abnormal.
- The Clue: This Wordle has two vowels in a row.
Okay, spoilers below! The answer is coming!
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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.
POUTY was a lousy opening guess (he said, pouting) leaving me with 809 remaining possible solutions. SHALE only cut that down to 95! RAMEN noodled the number down to 9 but even BREAD left me cooked, with three words to choose from. Wordle Bot said I should have guessed FARCE at this point, calling my fifth guess “risky.” But hey, I’m a FREAK like that.
Competitive Wordle Score
Today’s Wordle Bot
Screenshot: Erik Kain
I get -1 for guessing in five and -1 for losing to the Bot. The Bot gets 0 for guessing in four and +1 for beating me. Our January totals narrow once more:
Erik: 14 points
Wordle Bot: 12 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
Freak comes from Middle English frek(e) meaning “bold, rash, or eager,” likely from Old English frec (“greedy, fierce, daring”). The modern sense of something strange or abnormal developed later, in the 16th–17th centuries, as the word shifted from reckless behavior to unusual or startling things.
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Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2026/01/25/nyt-wordle-monday/
