It’s time for your guide to today’s Wordle answer, featuring my commentary on the latest puzzle, plus a selection of hints designed to help you keep your streak going.
Don’t think you need any clues for Wordle today? No problem, just skip to my daily column. But remember: failure in this game is only ever six guesses away.
Want more word-based fun? TechRadar’s Quordle today page contains hints and answers for that game, and you can also take a look at our NYT Strands today and NYT Connections today pages for our verdict on two of the New York Times’ other brainteasers.
SPOILER WARNING: Today’s Wordle answer and hints are below, so don’t read on if you don’t want to see them.
Wordle hints (game #1305) – clue #1 – Vowels
How many vowels does today’s Wordle have?
• Wordle today has a vowel in one place*.
* Note that by vowel we mean the five standard vowels (A, E, I, O, U), not Y (which is sometimes counted as a vowel too).
Wordle hints (game #1305) – clue #2 – first letter
What letter does today’s Wordle begin with?
• The first letter in today’s Wordle answer is F.
F is a very common starting letter in Wordle. It ranks seventh behind only S, C, B, T, P and A and overall there are 135 solutions that begin with this letter.
Wordle hints (game #1305) – clue #3 – repeated letters
Does today’s Wordle have any repeated letters?
• There are no repeated letters in today’s Wordle.
Repeated letters are quite common in the game, with 748 of the 2,309 Wordle answers containing one. However, it’s still more likely that a Wordle doesn’t have one.
Wordle hints (game #1305) – clue #4 – ending letter
What letter does today’s Wordle end with?
• The last letter in today’s Wordle is Y.
Y is the second most common ending letter in the game, behind only E. In total, 364 Wordle answers end with a Y.
Wordle hints (game #1305) – clue #5 – last chance
Still looking for more Wordle hints today? Here’s an extra one for game #1305.
- Today’s Wordle answer is decorative or ornamental.
If you just want to know today’s Wordle answer now, simply scroll down – but I’d always recommend trying to solve it on your own first. We’ve got lots of Wordle tips and tricks to help you, including a guide to the best Wordle start words.
If you don’t want to know today’s answer then DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER BECAUSE IT IS PRINTED BELOW. So don’t say you weren’t warned!
Today’s Wordle answer (game #1305)
- NYT average score: 3.8
- My score: 3
- WordleBot’s score: 3
- Best start word performance*: TRACE (4 remaining answers)
- My start word performance: DECOR (131)
* From WordleBot’s Top 20 start words
Today’s Wordle answer (game #1305) is… FANCY.
It’s a curious thing, but five-letter words ending in NCY are a lot less common than you’d expect. Or rather, than I’d expect; maybe you were well aware that would be the case and it’s not surprising to you at all. Add some letters, though, and there are dozens – hundreds, probably! – of widely used NCY words, for instance DECENCY, TENANCY, FLUENCY, REGENCY, TENDENCY, CURRENCY, FREQUENCY and RELEVANCY.
That’s probably true of lots of letter patterns in Wordle, but it stands out here on account of FANCY being the only one. NANCY could be an answer, I guess, but it’s generally a name or a slang term, and I can’t think of any others.
That may have made today’s task easier, although its average score of 3.8 suggests it’s neither too easy nor too difficult, but rather slap bang in the middle. The central three letters are all common, the others common in their respective positions. It’s far from an obscure term and there are no repeated letters to worry about. It’s all very normal.
Whether you achieved a good score or not may well have depended on whether you began with one of the best Wordle start words, and indeed which one you used if so. CRANE, beloved of WordleBot, left only eight possible answers, while TRACE was better still at four. However the likes of STARE (191) and SLATE (201) did not fare so well, and a four would not have been a terrible result here.
Strangely, given my recent performances, I beat the average today, coming home in three thanks not to my start word (DECOR, which left 131) but rather my second, CHANT, which cut those to three.
I still needed some luck, but got it when I completely failed to spot either PANIC or MANIC and played FANCY instead. Whoops!
How did you do today? Send me an email and let me know.
Yesterday’s Wordle hints (game #1304)
In a different time zone where it’s still Monday? Don’t worry – I can give you some clues for Wordle #1304, too.
- Wordle yesterday had vowels in two places.
* Note that by vowel we mean the five standard vowels (A, E, I, O, U), not Y (which is sometimes counted as a vowel too).
- The first letter in yesterday’s Wordle answer was C.
C is a very common starting letter in Wordle – in fact, it’s the second most common of all, behind only S.
- There were no repeated letters in yesterday’s Wordle.
Repeated letters are quite common in the game, with 748 of the 2,309 Wordle answers containing one. However, it’s still more likely that a Wordle doesn’t have one.
- The last letter in yesterday’s Wordle was K.
K is much more common at the end of a Wordle answer than at the start, and in fact ranks ninth overall in this regard.
Still looking for more Wordle hints? Here’s an extra one for game #1304.
- Yesterday’s Wordle answer is a loosely worn garment.
Yesterday’s Wordle answer (game #1304)
- NYT average score: 3.4
- My score: 4
- WordleBot’s score: 3
- Best start word performance*: PLACE (2 remaining answers)
- My start word performance: CLUED (18)
* From WordleBot’s Top 20 start words
Yesterday’s Wordle answer (game #1304) was… CLOAK.
Okay, that’s it. I have reached rock bottom with my Wordle performances so far in 2025 and I WILL improve from here, even if I need to spend five hours every day working through every possible combination of letters from guess two onwards (I won’t really do this).
Yes, I scored a four, and that’s not terrible, but a) the average yesterday was 3.4, so ultra-low and b) I made a terrible mistake that potentially cost me a three (and definitely made me look very stupid).
In my defence, it’s very cold here in the UK right now, and I think my brain has frozen a little.
Anyway: CLOAK. An answer that many people would have found rather easy, probably thanks to CRANE and SLATE, the two best Wordle start words of them all, leaving only 16 answers. Well, that and the fact that the first four letters are very common, but then that’s also why those start words performed well.
My start word was almost as successful, with CLUED giving me the CL opening and cutting the possibles list to a mere 18. I should really have got home in two more guesses from here. My second attempt was fine – definitely not perfect, but MINKS was rated at 88 out of 99 for skill, and should have left two at worst. Unfortunately it was very unlucky – 8 out of 99 – and left three. These were CLOCK, CLOAK and CLACK, and given that CLOCK has been a past Wordle answer (I checked), I should have played one of the other two. At worst I’d score a four, and I might score a three.
Instead, for some strange reason that I can’t fathom, I played CLANK, despite knowing that it couldn’t be the answer because the N was already ruled out. I have no idea why I did this.
On the plus side, it did guarantee me a four by leaving CLOAK as the only possible solution, but this was a long way from my finest hour and I will be prepared to receive your justified criticism tomorrow. Or don’t do that and just send me a funny animal GIF instead, if you’re feeling kind.
Wordle answers: The past 50
I’ve been playing Wordle every day for more than two years now and have tracked all of the previous answers so I can help you improve your game. Here are the last 50 solutions starting with yesterday’s answer, or check out my past Wordle answers page for the full list.
- Wordle #1304, Monday 13 January: CLOAK
- Wordle #1303, Sunday 12 January: TOTAL
- Wordle #1302, Saturday 11 January: DINGY
- Wordle #1301, Friday 10 January: CRAWL
- Wordle #1300, Thursday 9 January: WAFER
- Wordle #1299, Wednesday 8 January: DRAFT
- Wordle #1298, Tuesday 7 January: ATLAS
- Wordle #1297, Monday 6 January: SPRIG
- Wordle #1296, Sunday 5 January: CYBER
- Wordle #1295, Saturday 4 January: RELAX
- Wordle #1294, Friday 3 January: CHEAP
- Wordle #1293, Thursday 2 January: CHOSE
- Wordle #1292, Wednesday 1 January: NERVE
- Wordle #1291, Tuesday 31 December: LEMUR
- Wordle #1290, Monday 30 December: STARE
- Wordle #1289, Sunday 29 December: MAMBO
- Wordle #1288, Saturday 28 December: DECRY
- Wordle #1287, Friday 27 December: GRAIN
- Wordle #1286, Thursday 26 December: AFFIX
- Wordle #1285, Wednesday 25 December: SHARE
- Wordle #1284, Tuesday 24 December: EAGLE
- Wordle #1283, Monday 23 December: SAUNA
- Wordle #1282, Sunday 22 December: BRAWN
- Wordle #1281, Saturday 21 December: BLADE
- Wordle #1280, Friday 20 December: FLASH
- Wordle #1279, Thursday 19 December: STRAY
- Wordle #1278, Wednesday 18 December: HEFTY
- Wordle #1277, Tuesday 17 December: SCOWL
- Wordle #1276, Monday 16 December: BOAST
- Wordle #1275, Sunday 15 December: FUNKY
- Wordle #1274, Saturday 14 December: DROOL
- Wordle #1273, Friday 13 December: BOXER
- Wordle #1272, Thursday 12 December: VYING
- Wordle #1271, Wednesday 11 December: PLUMB
- Wordle #1270, Tuesday 10 December: PATIO
- Wordle #1269, Monday 9 December: FLUNG
- Wordle #1268, Sunday 8 December: HYENA
- Wordle #1267, Saturday 7 December: HILLY
- Wordle #1266, Friday 6 December: SHOVE
- Wordle #1265, Thursday 5 December: ENDOW
- Wordle #1264, Wednesday 4 December: CRYPT
- Wordle #1263, Tuesday 3 December: SHAKY
- Wordle #1262, Monday 2 December: GUILE
- Wordle #1261, Sunday 1 December: MAUVE
- Wordle #1260, Saturday 30 November: DOGMA
- Wordle #1259, Friday 29 November: HIPPO
- Wordle #1258, Thursday 28 November: CHOCK
- Wordle #1257, Wednesday 27 November: SLANG
- Wordle #1256, Tuesday 26 November: WITCH
- Wordle #1255, Monday 25 November: BROWN
What is Wordle?
If you’re on this page then you almost certainly know what Wordle is already, and indeed have probably been playing it for a while. And even if you’ve not been playing it, you must surely have heard of it by now, because it’s the viral word game phenomenon that took the world by storm last year and is still going strong in 2024.
We’ve got a full guide to the game in our What is Wordle page, but if you just want a refresher then here are the basics.
What is Wordle?
Wordle challenges you to guess a new five-letter word each day. You get six guesses, with each one revealing a little more information. If one of the letters in your guess is in the answer and in the right place, it turns green. If it’s in the answer but in the wrong place, it turns yellow. And if it’s not in the answer at all it turns gray. Simple, eh?
It’s played online via the Wordle website or the New York Times’ Crossword app (iOS / Android), and is entirely free.
Crucially, the answer is the same for everyone each day, meaning that you’re competing against the rest of the world, rather than just against yourself or the game. The puzzle then resets each day at midnight in your local time, giving you a new challenge, and the chance to extend your streak.
What are the Wordle rules?
The rules of Wordle are pretty straightforward, but with a couple of curveballs thrown in for good measure.
1. Letters that are in the answer and in the right place turn green.
2. Letters that are in the answer but in the wrong place turn yellow.
3. Letters that are not in the answer turn gray.
4. Answers are never plural.
5. Letters can appear more than once. So if your guess includes two of one letter, they may both turn yellow, both turn green, or one could be yellow and the other green.
6. Each guess must be a valid word in Wordle’s dictionary. You can’t guess ABCDE, for instance.
7. You do not have to include correct letters in subsequent guesses unless you play on Hard mode.
8. You have six guesses to solve the Wordle.
9. You must complete the daily Wordle before midnight in your timezone.
10. All answers are drawn from Wordle’s list of 2,309 solutions. However…
11. Wordle will accept a wider pool of words as guesses – some 10,000 of them. For instance, you can guess a plural such as WORDS. It definitely won’t be right (see point 4 above), but Wordle will accept it as a guess.
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