Wordle feels like a quiet morning ritual until you’re staring at four gray boxes and a single yellow square on your fifth attempt. That’s the moment the panic sets in. Honestly, it's just a game, but tell that to someone about to lose a 200-day streak. Today is Friday, December 12, 2025, and if you’ve been struggling with the Wordle answer today dec 12, you are definitely not alone.
The puzzle number for today is 1,637.
Usually, the New York Times likes to keep us on our toes with weird vowel placements or those dreaded double letters. Today’s word is a bit different. It’s a common noun, something you see every day on the highway, yet it’s surprisingly easy to miss if your starting word strategy leans too heavily on "soft" consonants like S or L.
Why Today's Wordle Is Giving People Trouble
Most regular players have a go-to starter. You probably use ADIEU, STARE, or maybe CRANE. If you started with STARE today, you likely saw a yellow T and a whole lot of nothing else. That’s a rough start.
The word we're looking for is TRUCK.
It's a simple word. Five letters. One vowel. But the combination of TR- at the start and the -CK ending is a classic Wordle trap. If you were guessing words like TRACK or TRICK, you were incredibly close, but that "U" is the silent streak-killer of the day.
Hints to Solve Wordle 1,637
If you haven't typed it in yet and want to feel the victory of "solving" it yourself, here are some nudges in the right direction:
- The Vowel: There is only one vowel in this word, and it's located right in the middle.
- The Start: It begins with a very common consonant blend.
- The Definition: Think of a large vehicle used for transporting goods.
- No Repeats: Unlike some of the more frustrating puzzles, there are no repeated letters today.
The Strategy Behind the Solve
I usually start with RAISE because it clears out three vowels and two common consonants. Today, RAISE would have given you a yellow R. Not great.
From there, a lot of players move to something like TOUCH. This is actually a brilliant second move for today's puzzle. It confirms the T, the U, and the C. By the time you reach your third guess, TRUCK is basically the only logical conclusion left.
If you’re a Hard Mode player, you might have found yourself stuck in a "rhyme trap." If you had _ _ _ C K confirmed, you could have been cycling through BRICK, STICK, CHUCK, or STACK. This is why the New York Times' WordleBot often suggests focusing on "elimination" words in regular mode—it saves you from that 6/6 heart attack.
Real Talk on Recent Trends
Lately, the Wordle editor, Tracy Bennett, has been favoring words that feel very "physical." We’ve seen a lot of nouns recently rather than abstract adjectives. TRUCK fits that mold perfectly. It's a "heavy" word, both literally and in terms of the consonants used.
Some people on Reddit and Twitter (or X, if you’re actually calling it that) have complained that the game is getting harder. Experts like those at Tom’s Guide or Mashable have analyzed the data, and while the words aren't necessarily more obscure, the patterns are becoming less predictable. We’re seeing fewer E endings and more blunt, harsh endings like -CK or -PT.
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Practical Tips for Tomorrow
Don't let today's Wordle answer today dec 12 get you down if you missed it. Tomorrow is a fresh grid. To keep your streak alive, consider these adjustments to your playstyle:
- Vary your second word: If your first word yields nothing, don't just guess another common word. Use a word that uses five entirely different, high-frequency letters like PLUMB or GHOST.
- Watch for the -CK: Whenever you see a C or a K turn yellow, start testing the end of the word immediately. It’s a very common English construction that we often overlook in 5-letter formats.
- Step away: If you're on guess four and you're stuck, close the app. Go get coffee. Your brain processes patterns in the background, and often the answer will just "pop" into your head when you aren't staring at the grid.
Keep your head up and your streak higher. The beauty of this game is that there's always another chance at midnight.
Actionable Next Steps:
- Review your stats: Check your "Guess Distribution" in the Wordle menu to see if you’re leaning too heavily on 5-turn wins.
- Try a "burner" word: If you are playing in regular mode and get stuck, use your next turn to guess a word with five unique letters you haven't tried yet, even if it doesn't fit the clues you have.
- Check the Archive: If you're an NYT subscriber, go back and play the puzzles from earlier this week to see if you can spot the thematic shift toward heavier consonant words.