NYT Wordle Explained
Scroll any group chat around breakfast time and you'll spot it: a little grid of green, yellow and gray squares. NYT Wordle is the daily five-letter word game published by The New York Times, free to play on its website and in the NYT Games app.
Below, you'll learn how the game works, where it came from, who picks the answers and what 1,945 puzzles of data reveal about them. You'll also find out where to get a spoiler-free hint every day.
What is NYT Wordle?
NYT Wordle is a free daily puzzle where you get six tries to guess a hidden five-letter word. Each guess colors the tiles to show which letters fit, and every player in the world gets the same word on the same date.
That shared word is the whole trick behind the game's success. You can post your grid of colored squares without giving the answer away, so friends compare scores without spoiling anything. Simple. And it stuck.
Who created Wordle, and when did the NYT buy it?
Software engineer Josh Wardle built Wordle as a gift for his partner and released it to the public in October 2021. The New York Times bought it in January 2022 for a price it described as in the low seven figures.
And the move to the NYT changed surprisingly little about the game itself. The rules, the six guesses and the green, yellow and gray tiles all stayed put, while the puzzle numbers kept counting up from #0 on June 19, 2021.
How does NYT Wordle work?
You type any valid five-letter word, press enter and read the colors: green for the right letter in the right spot, yellow for the right letter in the wrong spot, and gray for a letter that isn't there. Then you guess again.
Let's look at that loop one step at a time, from your very first guess to your last:
- Guess any valid five-letter word.
- Green means the letter is in the word and in the right spot.
- Yellow means the letter is in the word but in a different spot.
- Gray means the letter isn't in the word at all.
- Repeat with the clues you've gathered until you solve it or use up all six guesses.
Hard mode adds one rule on top: every green and yellow clue must appear in your next guess. Brand new to the game? Our step-by-step guide to how to play walks through a full game, one guess at a time.
How are NYT Wordle answers chosen?
An NYT editor curates them from a list of common five-letter words. The official puzzle data first names Tracy Bennett as editor on November 7, 2022, puzzle #506 (BEGIN), and every puzzle since carries the same credit.
- Answers lean toward everyday words rather than plurals or obscure terms.
- Where US and UK spellings differ, past answers have used the American one.
- Words can now repeat: CIGAR came back on February 2, 2026, and 27 answers have returned so far.
Wondering whether a guess has already come up in an earlier puzzle? Check our list of words already used, searchable all the way back to puzzle #0.
What do the numbers say about NYT Wordle answers?
Across 1,945 puzzles, three patterns stand out: S is the most common first letter, E is the most common letter overall, and 31% of answers repeat a letter. Here's the full breakdown from the answer history.
| Puzzles published | 1,945 |
|---|---|
| Different answer words | 1,918 |
| Answers used twice | 27 |
| Answers with a repeated letter | 603 (31%) |
| Most common first letters | S (290), C (170), B (147), T (129), A (124) |
| Most common last letters | E (387), Y (274), T (215), R (166), L (137) |
| Most common letters overall | E (1,054), A (832), R (741), O (650), T (628), L (605) |
Pro Tip
Treat those letter counts as a cheat sheet for your first guess. An opener packed with E, A, R, O, T tests the letters that show up most in real answers, and our list of opening words builds on exactly that idea.
Where can you get a NYT Wordle hint each day?
Right here, every single day of the year. Our daily hint page gives you five clues for today's puzzle, from the vowel count to the last letter. Open them one at a time, and the answer stays hidden until you ask for it.
NYT Wordle FAQs
Is NYT Wordle free to play?
Yes. The daily puzzle is free on The New York Times website and in the NYT Games app. You don't need a subscription, and logging in only saves your streak and stats across devices.
Who picks the NYT Wordle answers?
An NYT editor. Since November 7, 2022, puzzle #506, the official data has credited Tracy Bennett as editor. Before that, answers came straight from the list the game launched with.
Can NYT Wordle answers repeat?
Yes. No word came back until February 2, 2026, when CIGAR returned, and 27 past answers have been used a second time since then.
What is hard mode in NYT Wordle?
A setting that makes you use every clue. Green letters must stay in place and yellow letters must appear in your next guess. You switch it on in the game's settings before your first guess.
What is WordleBot?
The NYT's own analysis tool. After you finish, it reviews each of your guesses, shows how many words were still possible at each step and suggests what it would have played instead.
Is this site part of The New York Times?
No. Hintgrid is an independent fan site with no link to The New York Times. We publish hints and answers for the official puzzle, and you play the real game on the NYT website or app.
Ready for today's puzzle?
Then open today's puzzle in another tab and keep our hints close by. Each clue nudges you a little closer without spoiling the word, and the solver is there if your last two guesses get tight.