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Wordle Hints Today — August 18, 2026
Stuck on today's Wordle? This page has six easy hints for puzzle #1886. Read them one at a time and go back to the game after each one. Stop whenever you feel ready.
Want to skip straight to the answer? Scroll down. You'll also find today's difficulty score, the best starting words, yesterday's answer, and a full list of past answers.
Wordle Hints Today
Start with Hint 1. Each hint gives you a little more than the last. Only go as far as you need to.
How Many Vowels Are in Today's Wordle
Knowing how many vowels are in the word helps you pick better guesses right from the start.
Wordle Starting Letter Today
The first letter cuts down your options fast. Some letters start a lot more Wordle answers than others.
Wordle Last Letter Today
Knowing the last letter gives you a frame to work with. Once you have both ends, filling the middle becomes much easier.
Does Today's Wordle Have a Repeated Letter
About 1 in 7 Wordle answers repeat a letter. Knowing this early stops you from wasting guesses.
Second Letter of Today's Wordle
Position two is one of the hardest spots to guess on your own. This should get you very close.
Wordle Meaning Hint
A meaning clue works on your vocabulary, not just your knowledge of letters. Only use this if the five above weren't enough.
Bonus Hint — Visual Clue
NEWA picture that points toward the answer. Only open this if all six hints above weren't enough.
Visual clue — puzzle #1886
A long, narrow band of paper being cut off a wider sheet, or a worker peeling old paint away in a single continuous ribbon down the side of a wall.
What Is Today's Wordle Answer
Still stuck, or want to check your guess? The answer is below.
STRIP — to remove or take away a layer, covering, or piece of clothing, or a narrow, elongated piece or band of material, land, or space — like a strip of paper, an airport landing strip, or a newspaper comic strip. With just one vowel and no repeated letters, most players confirm S, T, and P quickly but need a guess or two to place the R and I correctly in the middle.
The NYT tester score comes from a small group of paid testers who solve the puzzle before it goes live. The WordleBot scores come from all players worldwide. That's why the two numbers are often different — a small test group doesn't always match how millions of players perform.
How Hard Is Today's Wordle
Every puzzle is rated based on how common its letters are, how many vowels it has, and whether any letters repeat.
STRIP is rated medium. With only one vowel and no repeated letters, the ST- opening plus the -RIP ending is a fairly uncommon combination, so most players need a guess or two after confirming S, T, and P before landing on STRIP. Words like TRIPS and SCRIP share overlapping letters, which can cause a moment of hesitation too.
What Do the Difficulty Numbers Mean?
Wordle difficulty goes from 1 to 6 — the same as the number of guesses you're allowed. A score of 6 means the average player used all six tries. A score of 7 means they didn't solve it at all.
Very easy. Most players get it in one or two guesses.
Easy. Straightforward word, solved in three guesses by most.
Medium. An average puzzle. Most players finish in three or four tries.
Medium+. Fewer vowels or a repeated letter makes it trickier.
Hard. Unusual letter pattern. You really need a strong first guess here.
Very hard. Most players use every single guess they have.
Best Wordle Starting Words
Your first guess sets up everything that comes after. A good opener tests the most common letters in one go — here are the six best ones to use.
Tests C, R, N, A, and E. The letter R shows up in more than one in four Wordle answers, so CRANE is a great first guess. WordleBot actually uses CRANE as its own starting word.
Covers S, L, T, A, and E — three of the most common consonants and the two most common vowels. One of the highest-rated openers in most scoring systems.
Works great as a second guess after CRANE. Together, CRANE + SAUCY cover a wide range of common letters in just two rows.
Same five strong letters as SLATE in a different order. Studies show STARE helps most players solve the puzzle in under four guesses on average.
Tests four vowels at once. Great if you want to find out where the vowels sit early. It won't tell you much about consonants, but it rules out 60–70% of words in one guess.
Covers R, A, I, S, and E. The letter S appears in about one third of all Wordle answers, making RAISE a reliable and information-rich opener.
How to Pick a Good Second Word
Your second guess should use completely different letters from your first. Don't repeat any letter you already tested — that wastes a guess.
If you opened with one of the words above, try PHONY as your second guess. It's a strong follow-up because Y is one of the most common letters in the fifth position. PHONY covers P, H, O, N, and Y — none of which appear in CRANE or SLATE.
If your first guess gave you nothing — no green or yellow tiles at all — try ROUND or CHIMP next. Both cover fresh letters and give you a lot of new information to work with.
Quick Strategy Tips
- Your first guess is about letters, not the answer. Don't try to guess the word on row one. Just test five common letters and see what comes back.
- Never use a grey letter again. If a tile goes grey, that letter is not in the word. Using it again on a later guess is a wasted turn.
- Move yellow letters to a new spot. A yellow tile means the letter is in the word, just not where you put it. Try a different position next time.
- Think about word endings when you have a few letters. Patterns like -IGHT, -OUND, -ATCH, and -URN can help you close in on the answer much faster than guessing one letter at a time.
- Use a "splitting" guess when you're stuck between options. If you have two or three possible answers left, try a word that tells you which one is right — even if that word isn't the answer itself. It saves you from guessing randomly.
- Look for repeated letters if four letters are confirmed but nothing clicks. About one in seven Wordle answers repeat a letter. Words like CURRY or ALIBI are good examples. If you feel stuck with four letters locked in, the fifth might just be a repeat of one you already have.
Common Patterns to Look Out For
About 15% of Wordle answers have a repeated letter. Words like SPEED, GRASS, and CURRY all double up on a letter. If you've confirmed four letters but the word still isn't coming together, try doubling one of the letters you already found.
Also watch for letter pairs like CH, PH, and QU. They show up more often than you'd expect and can save you a guess if you test for them early — today's puzzle is a good example.
One useful thing to know: the NYT assigned an editor named Tracy Bennett in 2022 to clean up the Wordle answer list. She removed very obscure and offensive words. So if a word feels very unusual or hard to define, it probably isn't today's answer.
For more help, visit our How to Play Wordle page, or try our Wordle Solver tool to search by the letters you already know. You can also practice with unlimited free games in 5-letter, 6-letter, and 7-letter formats.
Yesterday's Wordle — August 17, 2026 (Puzzle #1885)
Missed yesterday's puzzle? The clues come first so the answer isn't spoiled if you're in a different time zone and haven't played yet.
Yesterday's Hints
Four clues for puzzle #1885. Read them before scrolling to the answer.
Yesterday's word had 2 vowels and no repeated letters.
It started with T and ended with E. The frame was T _ _ _ E.
The second letter was R, giving the pattern T R I B E.
It means a community of families sharing culture and ancestry, or a close-knit group.
Yesterday's Answer
TRIBE
Puzzle #1885 · Easy
Yesterday's Difficulty Scores
Yesterday's puzzle was rated easy. Most players locked in TRIBE within three or four guesses.
Past Wordle Answers
Wordle very rarely repeats an answer. Checking this list helps you avoid guessing a word that has already been used.
| Date | Puzzle | Word | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 17 | #1885 | TRIBE | Easy |
| Aug 16 | #1884 | ASPIC | Easy |
| Aug 15 | #1883 | LOOSE | Medium |
| Aug 14 | #1882 | GEODE | Medium |
| Aug 13 | #1881 | CRASH | Easy |
| Aug 12 | #1880 | WIMPY | Medium |
| Aug 11 | #1879 | FENCE | Medium |
| Aug 10 | #1878 | SNIPE | Easy |
| Aug 9 | #1877 | CLUNK | Medium |
| Aug 8 | #1876 | PRIVY | Medium |
| Aug 7 | #1875 | FEIGN | Medium |
| Aug 6 | #1874 | GRIPE | Medium |
| Aug 5 | #1873 | POSIT | Medium |
| Aug 4 | #1872 | MOTIF | Easy |
| Aug 3 | #1871 | REPLY | Medium |
| Aug 2 | #1870 | PENAL | Medium |
| Aug 1 | #1869 | SLUSH | Medium |
| Jul 31 | #1868 | PURSE | Easy-Medium |
| Jul 30 | #1867 | FLUME | Medium |
| Jul 29 | #1866 | VALVE | Medium |
| Jul 28 | #1865 | SONAR | Easy |
| Jul 27 | #1864 | POSER | Easy |
| Jul 26 | #1863 | GRAPE | Easy-Medium |
| Jul 25 | #1862 | ALOHA | Easy-Medium |
| Jul 24 | #1861 | PUTTY | Medium |
| Jul 23 | #1860 | ORBIT | Medium |
| Jul 22 | #1859 | LORRY | Medium |
| Jul 21 | #1858 | SHILL | Medium+ |
| Jul 20 | #1857 | DIVER | Medium |
| Jul 19 | #1856 | CHURN | Medium |
| Jul 18 | #1855 | BOOTH | Medium |
| Jul 17 | #1854 | LEGAL | Medium |
| Jul 16 | #1853 | BUTTE | Medium+ |
| Jul 15 | #1852 | PSHAW | Hard |
| Jul 14 | #1851 | STEAK | Medium |
| Jul 13 | #1850 | STOUT | Medium+ |
| Jul 12 | #1849 | CLACK | Hard |
| Jul 11 | #1848 | AVIAN | Medium+ |
| Jul 10 | #1847 | CANAL | Medium |
| Jul 9 | #1846 | AMEND | Medium |
| Jul 8 | #1845 | DEMON | Medium |
| Jul 7 | #1844 | SLING | Medium |
| Jul 6 | #1843 | TODDY | Hard |
| Jul 5 | #1842 | SWAMI | Medium+ |
| Jul 4 | #1841 | PIZZA | Medium+ |
| Jul 3 | #1840 | BATON | Medium |
| Jul 2 | #1839 | MAVEN | Medium |
| Jul 1 | #1838 | DEMUR | Medium+ |
| Jun 30 | #1837 | PUPPY | Hard |
| Jun 29 | #1836 | CRUDE | Medium |
| Jun 28 | #1835 | EMCEE | Medium+ |
| Jun 27 | #1834 | SCOOP | Medium+ |
| Jun 26 | #1833 | ACUTE | Medium |
| Jun 25 | #1832 | SPINE | Medium |
| Jun 24 | #1831 | QUEER | Medium+ |
| Jun 23 | #1830 | CURRY | Medium+ |
| Jun 22 | #1829 | OVATE | Medium |
| Jun 21 | #1828 | ALIBI | Medium+ |
| Jun 20 | #1827 | DRAKE | Medium |
| Jun 19 | #1826 | EMOJI | Medium+ |
| Jun 18 | #1825 | ENTRY | Medium |
| Jun 17 | #1824 | TOKEN | Medium |
| Jun 16 | #1823 | AMAZE | Medium+ |
| Jun 15 | #1822 | BROIL | Medium |
| Jun 14 | #1821 | SEPIA | Medium |
| Jun 13 | #1820 | QUELL | Hard |
| Jun 12 | #1819 | BREAK | Easy |
| Jun 11 | #1818 | TESTY | Medium+ |
Look Up Any Wordle Puzzle by Date
Pick a date and we'll show you the answer, difficulty score, and a short definition for that day's puzzle.
Wordle Puzzle Lookup
Choose any date from June 2026 or later to look up that day's answer.
August 18, 2026 — Puzzle #1886
How to Play Wordle
New to Wordle? Here's everything you need to know to get started.
Open the daily puzzle
Go to The New York Times website and open Wordle. A new puzzle comes out every day at midnight in your local time. Every player in the world gets the same word — so you can compare your result with friends without spoiling it.
Type your first guess
Enter any real five-letter word. A word like CRANE, SLATE, or STARE is a good choice because it tests the most common letters right away. You can also make a free NYT account to save your streak.
Read the colored tiles
After each guess, the tiles change color. Green means the letter is in the right place. Yellow means the letter is in the word but in the wrong spot. Grey means the letter is not in the word at all. Some words repeat a letter — like HIPPO or CURRY.
Use what you learned
Keep green letters where they are. Move yellow letters to a new spot. Don't use grey letters again. Every guess should use what the tiles have told you so far.
Solve it in six tries
You get six guesses. Most players who think carefully finish in three or four. The key is to cut down your options with every guess — not to get lucky.
Share your result
When you finish, Wordle gives you a colored grid to share. The squares show how you got there without giving away the letters — so your friends can see your score without being spoiled.
What the Colors Mean
Green
Right letter, right place. Keep it there in all your future guesses.
Yellow
Right letter, wrong place. Move it to a different spot in your next guess.
Grey
This letter is not in the word. Don't use it again.
Wordle Alternatives
Finished today's Wordle and want more? These are the best word games to play next.
From the New York Times
NYT Connections
You get 16 words and have to sort them into four groups of four. Each group shares something in common. It sounds simple — but the links can be tricky to spot.
NYT Strands
A word search inside a 6×8 grid where you have to use every single letter on the board. Each puzzle has a hidden theme and a special "spangram" word that stretches across the whole grid.
Multi-Word Wordle Games
Dordle
Solve two five-letter words at the same time using the same guesses. A free unlimited mode lets you keep playing after the daily puzzle.
Quordle
Four Wordle boards at once, solved with the same set of guesses. Much harder than Dordle and a real test of how well you read tile feedback.
Octordle
Eight five-letter words solved in 13 guesses. The same guess applies to all eight boards at once — reading all that feedback is half the challenge.
Sedecordle
Sixteen Wordle puzzles at once with 21 guesses. The hardest version of the format — and the one where a strong opening word matters most.
