Wordle was invented during the coronavirus pandemic by Josh Wardle, a New York-based software engineer who was simply looking for a game “for me and my partner to enjoy.”
In October 2021, Wardle decided to release Wordle to the general public, and the game quickly became a hit across the English-speaking world, with some players taking to social media each day to share their scores and tactics. The New York Times purchased Wordle for an undisclosed low seven-figure sum in January 2022, though the game remains free to play.
In a previous interview with Newsweek, Erhan Aslan, a linguistics expert who teaches at the University of Reading in the United Kingdom, offered some advice for Wordle players.
“One thing that I think is important in this game is the starting word chosen. 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,” Aslan said.
He added: “As 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,” Aslan added. “For example, if the second letter of the target word is l (indicated by green) and the player feels that the word starts with a consonant, they will need to know that there are only a few consonant cluster possibilities (such as bl, cl, fl, gl, pl, sl).”
The answer to Sunday’s puzzle will be revealed at the end of this article, so scroll down with caution if you want to work it out for yourself.
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“Wordle” #1,170, Clues for Sunday, September 1
Newsweek has put together five clues to help you solve today’s Wordle brainteaser.
Hint #1: The answer contains two vowels, one of which functions as a consonant in a different word structure.
Hint #2: There are no repeated letters.
Hint #3: The second letter is a vowel.
Hint #4: Associated with weakness.
Hint #5: None of the first three letters in the alphabet are featured.
“Wordle” #1,170, Answer for Sunday, September 1
The answer to today’s Wordle puzzle is “mushy.”
Well that was a tough one! With two of the rarer vowels, one of which usually functions as a consonant, Sunday’s Wordle is likely to have challenged even experienced players of the game.
Did you figure it out? If so congratulations, but please don’t be put off if not. Another Wordle puzzle will be released on Monday and Newsweek will be back with another round of hints and tips.
What Does “Mushy” Mean?
The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines “mushy” as “having the consistency of mush” or “lacking in definition or precision.”
For example: “Honestly I thought that presentation was a bit on the mushy side.”