It’s almost the weekend and if you need a helping hand with Friday’s Wordle, Newsweek is here.
The incredibly popular word-based brainteaser was invented by Josh Wardle, a Welsh-born software engineer based in New York City. He perfected Wordle during the COVID-19 lockdowns before releasing it to the public in October 2021.
After reaching 2 million players within just four months, the game grabbed the attention of The New York Times, which purchased the puzzle from Wardle in January 2022 for a seven-figure sum. It quickly became the publication’s most popular game.
Players get six attempts to guess a five-letter word. Gray tiles behind each letter indicate that they’re not in the word at all; yellow means the letter features but is in the wrong position; while green lets players know the letter is in the word and in the correct place. While it is easy to play, it isn’t always easy to win.
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According to research conducted by WordsRated, the most common starting letter used by Wordle players is S, with 15.81 percent of answers beginning with it.
The next most common starting letter is C, with 8.58 percent of answers starting with the consonant, although S is the starting letter for 167 more words than its nearest rival. B is in third place with 7.49 percent.
Erhan Aslan, an expert in applied linguistics who teaches at the University of Reading in the U.K., previously provided some useful advice for Wordle players in an interview with Newsweek.
“One thing that I think is important in this game is the starting word chosen,” Aslan said. “Starting off with words that include commonly used vowels, for example, e and a, consonants such as r and t, and sound sequences might be helpful.
“Choosing a word that starts with q, z, j or x, for instance, may not be the best choice. You get more feedback after a few guesses. Users need to draw on some knowledge of phonics to narrow down or eliminate some words that they might be thinking.”
‘Wordle’ #1,112 Clues for Friday, July 5
Newsweek has put together five hints to help you figure out today’s Wordle puzzle.
Hint #1: Today’s answer is a verb and a noun.
Hint #2: The word contains one vowel.
Hint #3: There are no repeated letters.
Hint #4: Today’s Wordle starts with the letter “C.”
Hint #5: Synonyms for this word include “squash.”
‘Wordle’ #1,112 Answer for Friday, July 5
Today’s Wordle answer is “Crush.”
According to Merriam-Webster, the verb is defined as “to squeeze or force by pressure so as to alter or destroy structure.” The noun is defined as “an intense and usually passing infatuation.”
Wordle updates every day at midnight in your local time zone, at which point the next puzzle becomes available. Newsweek will be back with another round of hints and tips for each new game.
Players who would like something to keep themselves busy while they wait can have a go at other word-based puzzles such as Typochondria and Spellspire.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.