You’ve probably been staring at those yellow tiles for twenty minutes. Honestly, it happens to the best of us. Today’s Wordle puzzle, number 1,674, is one of those brain-teasers that feels slightly unfair until you see the solution. The Wordle answer today is SUMAC.
It’s a tough one. If you’re a foodie or someone who spends a lot of time in the spice aisle, you might have snagged it in three. But for everyone else? It’s a linguistic trap.
Why SUMAC is Tricky
Most people fail today because of the letter distribution. You’ve likely got a yellow "S" or "A" floating around, but that "C" at the end is a total curveball. Most five-letter words starting with "S" want to end in "E" or "S" or "Y." Ending in "C" is relatively rare in the Wordle dictionary compared to common patterns.
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Think about it. We usually guess words like "STARE" or "SLATE" to kick things off. If you used "ORATE" like a lot of the WordleBot devotees, you only walked away with a yellow "A." That leaves over 150 possible words. That’s a nightmare for a Sunday morning.
The Botanical Connection
So, what actually is a SUMAC?
Basically, it’s a flowering plant. Specifically, it belongs to the Anacardiaceae family, which—fun fact—includes cashews and mangos. If you’ve ever had a deep red, tangy powder sprinkled over your hummus or kabobs at a Middle Eastern restaurant, you’ve eaten it. It has this incredible lemony, tart flavor that isn't actually citrus.
But there’s a darker side to the word.
People often confuse the edible spice with poison sumac (Toxicodendron vernix). They aren't the same thing, though they’re related. Poison sumac has white berries and will give you a nasty rash similar to poison ivy. The stuff we eat comes from the staghorn sumac, which has those iconic conical red fruit clusters.
Strategy for Solving Wordle 1,674
If you haven’t finished your grid yet, you need to be surgical.
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Don't just throw vowels at the wall. You already know there's a "U" and an "A" in there. The real battle is the placement of the "S" and finding that "M" and "C."
- Test the "C": If you have a yellow "C," try putting it at the end. Words like "TOPIC" or "RELYC" (wait, that’s not a word—don’t use that) or "SONIC" help narrow down the position.
- The "U" Trap: We often neglect the "U" until the fourth or fifth guess. In SUMAC, it’s the heart of the word.
- Consonant Clearing: If you’re stuck, use a filler word like "CLUMP" or "SCALP." These test the "C," "M," "L," and "P" all at once. Even if you get all grays, you’ve cleared the path.
Expert Insights on Today's Word
According to data from the New York Times WordleBot, the average player is taking about 4.0 guesses to find the Wordle answer today. That’s actually a bit higher than the usual average. It's because "SUMAC" isn't a "sight word"—we don't see it every day in standard prose.
The difficulty also stems from the "S" placement. We are conditioned to think of "SH---" or "ST---" or "SP---." The "SU---" opening is less common in our immediate mental vocabulary when we are under the pressure of a ticking streak.
How to Avoid Losing Your Streak
The biggest mistake you can make today is "Hard Mode" tunneling.
If you’re playing on Hard Mode and you have "S_A_ _", you might be tempted to guess "SHAFT," "SHANK," or "STARE." But if the answer is SUMAC, you’ll burn through your six tries before you ever realize you need a "U" or a "C."
If you aren't on Hard Mode, use your third guess to test as many unique letters as possible. Throw away the letters you already know are green just for one turn. It feels wrong, but it’s the only way to find that "M" if you’re stuck.
Better Luck Tomorrow
Wordle is a game of patterns as much as it is vocabulary. Today was a lesson in the "unusual ending" category. Tomorrow will likely be something more mundane, but that’s the beauty of the game. One day you’re a genius, the next you’re Googling spice names.
To keep your streak alive for Monday, try these steps:
- Brush up on your Middle Eastern pantry staples (honestly, it helps).
- Switch your starting word to something with a "C" like "TRACE" or "CRANE" to catch these endings earlier.
- Always check for the "U" by guess three if you haven't found the primary vowel yet.
- Log your results in a tracker to see if you struggle more with botanical terms or verbs.