You’re staring at those empty boxes, and your brain is basically buffering. We’ve all been there on a Saturday morning. You want to keep that streak alive, but sometimes the letters just don't want to cooperate. Wordle #1673 for January 17, 2026, is definitely one of those puzzles that feels a bit "spicy," if you catch my drift.
If you're just looking for a nudge in the right direction without the full spoiler yet, honestly, think about things that are hot. This word describes a temper, a sunset, or maybe just a really intense pepper. It’s got a weird structure that often catches people off guard because of where the vowels sit.
Hints to Save Your Streak
Sometimes a little context is all you need to unlock the logic. Here is what you’re working with for today’s puzzle:
- The Vowel Situation: There are two vowels here, plus a "sometimes" vowel at the end.
- No Repeats: Every single letter is unique. You don't have to worry about double letters today.
- The Starting Line: The word begins with the letter F.
- The Ending: It wraps up with a Y.
- Synonyms: Think "burning," "blazing," or "passionate."
If you’ve already guessed words like "FLARE" or "FIRST," you might have seen a few yellows pop up. The tricky part is the "IE" combination in the middle—it’s not as common as "EA" or "OU," which usually leads players down the wrong path during their second or third guess.
The Wordle Answer for Today
Ready? If you’ve exhausted your options and just want to see the solution so you can move on with your Saturday, here it is.
The Wordle answer for today is FIERY.
It’s a classic five-letter trap. The "I" and "E" sitting next to each other right after the "F" can be a nightmare for elimination strategies. Most people expect an "A" or an "O" early on. If you started with a vowel-heavy word like "ADIEU," you probably got the "I" and "E" early, but placing them is the real challenge.
Why Today's Puzzle Was a Headache
According to data from the NYT WordleBot, the average player is taking about 3.8 to 4 guesses to nail this one. That’s actually a bit higher than the usual average.
The word FIERY is weird because of the spelling. We think of "fire," but the adjective form throws that "E" after the "I." If you were trying to spell it "FIRRY" (which isn't really a common word) or "FERRY," you likely ran into a wall. It’s a word that looks "wrong" even when it’s right.
I actually saw a few people on social media complaining that they got stuck on "FIBER" or "FILER." Those are solid guesses, but they don't have that "Y" at the end, which is the real anchor for this specific solution.
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Best Strategy for Tomorrow
If today's word gave you trouble, it might be time to rethink your opening gambit.
While "SLATE" and "CRANE" are the mathematical darlings of the AI bots, they wouldn't have helped much with the "F" or the "I" today. A lot of pros are moving toward a two-word opening strategy. You use the first two lines to burn through the ten most common letters regardless of what turns yellow.
For example, playing "ARISE" followed by "TOUCH" covers all vowels and some heavy-hitting consonants. Today, "ARISE" would have given you the "R," "I," and "E" immediately. From there, it's just a matter of logic.
Next Steps for Your Daily Routine:
- Check your statistics page to see how your "win percentage" is holding up after today's "FIERY" challenge.
- If you're into more than one game, the NYT "Connections" for today is also quite heavy on sports themes—specifically AFC East teams.
- Keep a list of your "failed" words. Most people realize they miss words with "Y" in the fifth position more often than any other pattern.