Welcome back, Wordlers. The news these is as bleak as the weather lately, so it’s a good thing we have puzzle games to keep us distracted. Snow is falling as I type this and it’s really quite lovely. I’m not a huge fan of winter, but it can be quite beautiful at times. And cold.
Be sure to check out my Weekend Streaming Guide if you’re looking for more distractions from the news as you stay safe and warm indoors. And put your thinking caps on. We have a Wordle to solve!
Looking for Saturday’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.
Play Puzzles & Games on Forbes
Today’s Bonus Custom Wordle is 6 letters long.
The hint: A type of dragon.
The clue: This Wordle has more consonants than vowels.
Yesterday’s Custom Wordle Answer: PARROT
How To Solve Today’s Wordle
How To Play Wordle
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: CRATE (40 words left)
- The Hint: A confident walk.
- The Clue: This Wordle has a double letter.
Okay, spoilers below! The answer is coming!
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The Answer:
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.
CRATE was a perfectly wonderful opener, leaving me with just 40 words. Unfortunately, TORUS was not the Wordle, but it did leave me with just two possible solutions. I only came up with STRUT. Had I thought of STRUM, I would have guessed that instead! Huzzah for me!
Competitive Wordle Score
The Wordle Bot got lucky and tied me today, so we get 0 points for that and we each get 1 point for guessing in three. After an early lead by a pretty wide margin, we’ve maintained a pretty close race for the second half of January:
Erik: 16 points
Wordle Bot: 11 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
Strut comes from Middle English strouten or strote, meaning “to puff oneself up or walk stiffly,” probably related to Scandinavian words like Old Norse strútr (“snout, projecting thing”)—all suggesting protruding or swelling, which fits the idea of sticking out one’s chest while walking proudly.
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