You ever have those mornings where you sit down with your coffee, open the New York Times app, and just stare blankly at those empty grey boxes? It’s a ritual. For some of us, it’s basically the only reason we’re even awake before 8:00 AM. But man, today’s puzzle—Wordle #1673—felt like it was actively trying to ruin my streak.
If you're here because you’re down to your last two guesses and the sweat is starting to bead on your forehead, don't worry. I’ve been there. Honestly, today’s word is one of those that looks simple once you see it, but getting there is a literal minefield of potential "almost" words.
The Wordle Answer Today (January 17, 2026)
Alright, let’s just get the band-aid off. If you are looking for the Wordle answer today, the word for Saturday, January 17, is FIERY.
Yeah, I know. It’s that "I-E" or "E-I" trap that gets people every single time.
Some Hints if You’re Still Trying to Play
Maybe you didn’t want the answer just yet. Maybe you just wanted a nudge. If you haven't looked at the spoiler above yet, here is the vibe for today’s puzzle:
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- The Vowel Situation: There are two vowels. But here’s the kicker—there’s also a "Y" acting as a vowel at the end. That "IE" combo in the middle is where most people are going to lose their minds.
- Starting Letter: It starts with an F.
- No Repeats: Unlike some of the more annoying puzzles we've had lately, every letter in today's word is unique.
- The Meaning: Think of a sunset, a spicy pepper, or that one friend who gets way too intense about board games. It’s all about heat and passion.
Why Today’s Word is Such a Pain
Wordle is a game of probability. Most of us use starting words like STARE, CRANE, or ADIEU. If you used ADIEU today, you probably saw that 'I' and 'E' light up yellow and felt pretty good about yourself.
But then the "ER" trap starts. You think it might be FLIER or FIBER or even FIXER. If you're playing on Hard Mode, you can easily get stuck in a loop of guessing words that end in "ER" while the first letter keeps changing.
The word FIERY is weird because the "R" comes after the "E." In English, we are so used to the "ER" suffix for adjectives and nouns that our brains almost refuse to see "ERY" as a common ending unless we’re thinking of a bakery or a winery.
Strategy for Not Breaking Your Streak
I talked to a few friends who play this religiously. One of them, a guy who hasn't missed a day in three years, swears by the "Consonant Dump" method. If you’re on guess four and you have three possible words left, don't guess one of them. Instead, guess a word that uses all the different starting consonants you're debating between.
For today, if you were stuck between FIERY, FIBER, and FLIER, you’d want to test the B, L, and Y.
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It feels like wasting a turn. It is wasting a turn. But it’s better than guessing FLIER, seeing the 'L' go grey, and realizing you only have one shot left to choose between the other two.
A Bit of Wordle Trivia
Did you know the NYT actually removed some words from the original list Josh Wardle created? They wanted to keep it somewhat "accessible." Yet, they keep words like FIERY in the mix, which—let’s be real—is a spelling bee nightmare for half the population.
We’ve come a long way from the days of simple words like APPLE or TRAIN. As the game creeps toward its 2,000th puzzle, the developers are clearly leaning into words that challenge our grasp of phonics.
What to Do Now
If you got it in three, go brag on Twitter (or X, whatever we’re calling it this week). If you lost your streak... well, there’s always tomorrow. The puzzle resets at midnight local time.
If you’re looking to improve your game for the Sunday puzzle, try starting with a word that doesn't just hunt for vowels. SLATE or TRACE are statistically some of the best openers because they knock out the most common consonants alongside the "A" and "E."
Your next move:
- If you haven't already, try the NYT Connections puzzle for today. It’s usually just as frustrating but in a completely different way.
- Go update your WordleBot stats. It’s always fun to see the AI tell you that your second guess was "suboptimal" even though it felt like a genius move at the time.