Need some help solving today’s Wordle? Sometimes a nudge in the right direction is all you need, mixed with a bit of strategy, and a bit of vocabulary. Wordle fans have an intriguing challenge to keep the guessing game lively for December 8.
The Hint: Take the animal kingdom for instance, and a creature with cunning.
The Clue: It ends in a vowel, a trait that is not present in English words as much.
These hints reduce the possible choices and give a direction to point guesses.
What is the value of the Wordle opening guess? A word like CRANE or SLATE helps find important letters very early on. Today’s puzzle is an outlier in that it is an ‘A’ at the end joined by another vowel. When starting with common consonants and vowels, it’s essential to eliminate wrong placements. The answer could be equally tested by placing the ‘A’ and negatively identifying the adjacent consonants.
Spoiler Alert: At this point, you’re probably still guessing.
The answer for today’s Wordle is HYENA.
The 'HYENA' word has an interesting twist through the consonant and vowel combination of the word. The opener narrows the options somewhat but doesn’t immediately lead to a solution I’m afraid. The first guess for today’s puzzle gives us about 106 possible solutions, according to Wordle Bot analytics. Bringing this number down involves a strategic second guess testing new vowel placements. APNEA may be words like that that are effective to confirm or rule in or out possibilities.
Wordle is not a guessing game, but a competition. Those scores are based on the number of guesses and the number of comparisons to other opponents or bots.
Wordle Bot: 3 guesses earn 1 point (ties do not).
Ties result in no additional points.
If Wordle is missing altogether, the user lose 3 points.
If user want to maintain a total, double points are available on Fridays.
The word HYENA descends from the Greek hyaena, from hys (so called on account of its similar mane to that of a pig). Such an interesting etymology about simple words shows the rich history of simple words, language itself, and culture and observation.
The thing about Wordle is that it isn’t just a daily puzzle but a community event. Players can discuss strategies, share and compare results, results and send with others, compare results and send with others, discuss results with others and, importantly, compare their results with others.
The simplicity of the puzzle coupled with the difficulty of the puzzle make it a hit.
If you don’t read tomorrow, we’ll make some more hints and clues throw your way… and remember to keep track of your progress. Unsurprisingly, Wordle remains a deliciously witty and beneficial test of vocabulary and wit whether you’re solving solo or going head-to-head with friends.