If you woke up on October 15, 2024, and felt a sudden, inexplicable urge to throw your phone across the room, you weren't alone. You were likely just one of the thousands of victims claimed by CORER.
It was a bloodbath.
According to the New York Times WordleBot, which tracks how the masses are faring, the average score that day was a brutal 5.7. For those who don't spend their lives obsessing over green squares, let me put that in perspective: the average Wordle is usually solved in about 3.9 to 4.1 guesses. A 5.7 average means nearly half the planet essentially failed.
Why Was CORER the 2024 Hardest to Solve Wordle?
Honestly, it’s a perfect storm of Wordle cruelty. It has all the hallmarks of a "streak killer."
First, you’ve got the repeated letter. The double 'R' is a nightmare because most players are hardwired to try five unique letters to maximize information. By the time you realize there’s a second 'R', you’re already on guess four and sweating.
Then there’s the "trap" factor.
Think about the structure _O_ER. If you managed to get those three letters in place early, you probably felt like a genius. But then reality hits. You’re looking at:
- COVER
- COWER
- CODER
- COKER
- COYER
- COMER
You have six guesses. There are more than six common words that fit that pattern. It’s basically Russian Roulette with vowels and consonants.
The Statistics of the Struggle
Data from Tom’s Guide and Engaging Data actually ranks CORER as the third hardest Wordle in the history of the game, not just 2024. It sits right behind the infamous PARER (average 6.3) and MUMMY (average 5.8) from back in 2022.
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But 2024 had other villains too.
DECAL on May 5th was a weird one. It doesn’t look hard, right? But apparently, it stumped more people in Illinois and Indiana than any other word that year. Something about that 'C' and 'L' combo just didn't click for people. Maybe it’s because "decal" isn't a word we use every day unless we're putting stickers on a model airplane or a shop window.
Then we had JOLLY in April. Double letters again. New Yorkers specifically seemed to hate that one. Over 15,000 people in New York alone had to Google "Wordle hint" just to get through the day.
The NYT "New Word" Controversy
There’s this theory floating around Reddit and various gaming blogs that the New York Times has been making the game harder on purpose.
Technically, they have been adding words.
The original list created by Josh Wardle had about 2,309 words. The NYT has been sprinkling in "non-canon" words like SNAFU, GUANO, and MOMMY. These words often feature rare letter combinations or triple letters that break the traditional "rules" players use to solve the puzzle.
When MOMMY (Wordle #1208) dropped in October, people lost their minds. Three 'M's? In this economy? It was only the 20th time in the history of the game that a triple letter had been used. It felt like a personal attack.
Other 2024 Honorable Mentions of Pain
- VYING (February 24): A 'V' and a 'Y' at the start? It's gross. The solve rate was only 75%.
- PIPER (February 24): Another double 'P' trap with too many rhyming options (LIVER, RIVER, VIPER).
- HITCH (May 19): The "_ITCH" trap is legendary. It’s where streaks go to die.
- ROVER (April 23): Another "vowel sandwich" that could have been COVER, LOVER, or HOVER.
How to Not Get Beat by the 2024 Hardest to Solve Wordle
If you're tired of seeing that "X/6" at the end of your morning coffee, you have to change how you play when you hit a trap.
Most people play "Hard Mode" even if they haven't toggled the setting. They get _O_ER and they keep guessing words that fit that pattern. Don't do that.
If you’re on guess three and you realize there are four possible words it could be, use guess four to play a word that contains as many of those missing starting letters as possible.
If you're stuck between COVER, CODER, and COWER, guess a word like VOWED.
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- It has the 'V' for cover.
- It has the 'W' for cower.
- It has the 'D' for coder.
One guess tells you exactly which one it is. You might give up the chance of a "4," but you guarantee a "5" and keep your streak alive. It’s boring, but it works.
Also, keep an eye on the "WordleBot" after your game. It’s annoying and a bit smug, but it actually shows you the math. It’ll tell you exactly when you should have abandoned the pattern to save yourself.
What This Means for 2025 and Beyond
Wordle isn't going anywhere, but the "obvious" words are running out. We’re going to see more words like CORER. We’re going to see more weird plurals and obscure nouns that feel like they belong in a spelling bee, not a casual morning game.
The 2024 hardest to solve wordle taught us that the "ER" ending is the most dangerous thing in the game.
If you see an 'E' and an 'R' turn green at the end of the word, don't celebrate. Start worrying.
To keep your edge, you should probably start varying your openers. CRANE and STARE are great, but sometimes starting with something weird like ADIEU or AUDIO gives you the vowel map you need to avoid the consonant traps later on.
Your next move: Go back into your stats and look at your "average guesses." If it’s creeping up toward 4.5, it’s time to stop "trap guessing" and start using the elimination method. Try using a sacrificial word tomorrow—even if you think you know the answer—just to be sure. It feels like cheating yourself, but losing a 300-day streak feels way worse.