Today's Wordle Hints (#1,946)
Work through these one at a time. Each one gives away a little more.
Hint 1 — Repeated letters: Two reapeted words is F,F
Hint 2 — Vowels: One vowel, and is E
Hint 3 — First letter: [Today's answer starts with _G__.]
Hint 4 — Last letter: [Today's answer ends with __E_.]
Hint 5 — Third letter: [Today's answer Third letter is __F_.]
Hint 6 — Meaning: An embarrassing mistake or a socially awkward comment or action.
If that's enough to get you there, go finish your puzzle. If not, the answer is right below.
Today's Wordle Answer
⚠️ Spoiler ahead — scroll only when you're ready.
The Wordle #1,946 answer for October 17, 2026 is:
How Wordle Works, in Case You're New
Wordle hands you six tries to land on one five-letter word, and treats every guess as a fresh clue. Type in a real word, and the tiles respond: green for a letter that's correct and in place, yellow for a letter that belongs in the word but sits in the wrong spot, and gray for a letter that isn't in the word anywhere. The puzzle is the same for everyone on a given day, no matter where they are, and a new one appears right at midnight in each player's own time zone. That's the entire game: six guesses, three colors of feedback, and the goal of landing on the word before time runs out on your attempts.
Yesterday's Wordle Answer
Playing on a delay, or checking after the fact? Wordle #1,945, for October 16, 2026, was SHADY.
Recent Wordle Answers
A quick reference for the last week, in case you fell behind or want to settle an argument about a recent puzzle.
| Wordle # | Date | Answer |
|---|---|---|
| 1,936 | October 7, 2026 | Prove |
| 1,937 | October 8, 2026 | STREW |
| 1,938 | October 9, 2026 | MAJOR |
| 1,939 | October 10, 2026 | BUMPY |
| 1,940 | October 11, 2026 | UNCAP |
| 1,941 | October 12, 2026 | YODEL |
| 1,942 | October 13, 2026 | WIDER |
| 1,943 | October 14, 2026 | PSYCH |
| 1,944 | October 14, 2026 | DUNCE |
| 1,945 | October 15, 2026 | SHADY |
Choosing a Strong Starting Word
Pick a starting word that tests as many high-frequency letters as possible, with none repeated. High-frequency letters are the goal: E, A, R, T, O, I, N and S cover more ground in five-letter words than most other letters, which is why words such as RATIO, STAIN and OATEN get suggested so often.
Beyond single letters, think in pairs: combinations like SH, ST, CR and CH start a lot of five-letter words, so working one into your second guess can rule in or out several candidates at once.
From there, the usual advice applies: don't retest a letter you already know is gray, and always shift a yellow letter somewhere new rather than abandoning it. Or skip the guesswork entirely and let our Wordle Solver filter the list for you once you've got a few clues locked in.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is today's Wordle answer?
For October 17, 2026 (Wordle #1,946), the answer is GAFFE. The full word is revealed further down this page inside the tile-reveal box if you'd rather check it there.
What Wordle number is today?
Today's puzzle is Wordle #1,946, played on October 17, 2026. The number increases by exactly one every calendar day, with no skipped or repeated numbers since the game's 2021 launch.
What is Wordle, and who made it?
Wordle is a free daily word-guessing game created by software engineer Josh Wardle, originally built in 2013 as a personal project before its public release in 2021. The New York Times acquired it in early 2022 and still runs it today at nytimes.com/games/wordle.
How many guesses do I get in Wordle?
Six guesses total. Every guess must be a real, accepted five-letter word — Wordle will reject non-words — and the tile colors update after each attempt to tell you which letters are right and where.
Does the Wordle answer change at midnight?
Yes. A new Wordle unlocks at 12:00 a.m. in each player's own local time zone, not at a single global time, so the puzzle can change for you before or after it changes for a friend in a different zone.
Is this site affiliated with Wordle or The New York Times?
No. This is an independent, unofficial fan page that reports the daily answer and hints. Wordle is a trademark owned and operated by The New York Times Company.
Can I play past Wordle puzzles?
Not through the public game itself — The New York Times removed open access to past puzzles. An official archive does exist, but it's limited to NYT Games subscribers. This page's recent-answers table is a free way to check back a few days.
What should I do if the hints don't help me finish the puzzle?
Type what you already know — your green, yellow and gray letters — into our free Wordle Solver, and it will filter a full word list down to only the entries that still fit your clues.
Can different players get different Wordle answers on the same day?
No. Everyone is given the same word for a given calendar day in their own time zone — what varies is only the clock time the puzzle unlocks locally, never which word it is.
More Puzzle Help
- Wordle Solver — enter your clues to filter possible words yourself
- Block Blast Solver — help with that game's board puzzles
This is an independent fan resource. It is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, The New York Times or Wordle.