Waking up on a Saturday morning usually involves two things: coffee and the New York Times games page. If you're stuck on the January 17th puzzle, you're definitely not alone. It’s one of those mornings where the grid feels a bit more stubborn than usual. Honestly, it’s enough to make anyone a little frustrated.
Wordle 1,673 is live, and it’s a bit of a heater.
If you’ve been hunting for the wordle clues today forbes style, you know the drill. Erik Kain usually breaks these down with a mix of tactical advice and a "how did the bot beat me today?" vibe. Today’s word isn’t necessarily a "trap" word in the sense of having twenty different endings (looking at you, STARE, SHARE, SPARE), but the vowel placement is just tricky enough to burn through a few guesses before you realize what's happening.
Hints for the January 17 Wordle
Sometimes you just need a little nudge. You don't want the answer—not yet—but you need to know if that "Y" you're holding onto actually belongs at the end. Here are some clues to get the gears turning:
- The Starting Letter: Today's word begins with the letter F.
- The Vowel Count: There are two vowels in this word.
- The Vowel Types: You're looking for an I and an E.
- The Ending: It ends with a Y.
- No Repeats: Every single letter in today's solution is unique. No double letters to worry about here.
- The Vibe: Think of something intense, hot, or even a personality that's quick to ignite.
Basically, if you’re thinking about a campfire or a particularly passionate argument, you’re in the right neighborhood.
Why Today’s Word Is Tricky
Most people start with words like ADIEU or STARE. If you used ADIEU, you found the I and the E, but they’re both yellow. That’s a classic Wordle headache. You know the pieces are there, but the configuration feels weird.
The structure of today's word—vowel, vowel, consonant, consonant, vowel-acting-consonant—is what trips people up. We often expect vowels to be separated by consonants. When they sit next to each other in the middle of a word, our brains sometimes skip over the most obvious solutions.
The Strategy Behind the Solve
WordleBot, the NYT’s resident genius-slash-know-it-all, usually averages around 3.9 guesses for a word like this. If you can get it in three, you've officially beaten the "average" player.
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Kinda makes you feel good, right?
Using a starting word like SANER or SLATE might not have given you much today. SANER would have given you a yellow E and a whole lot of gray. From there, most players move to something like PILOT or FIGHT. If you tried FIGHT, you’re actually in great shape because you locked in that F and I.
A Quick Word on "Hard Mode"
If you’re playing on Hard Mode, today might be a bit of a test of patience. Once you lock in those vowels in the middle, you’re forced to work around them. The beauty of today's word is that it doesn't have a million rhyming variants. It’s not like LIGHT, MIGHT, SIGHT, NIGHT, FIGHT. It’s more unique than that.
The Big Reveal: Wordle Answer for January 17
Stop scrolling now if you want to keep guessing. Seriously. This is your last warning before the spoiler.
The answer to today's Wordle (1,673) is: FIERY.
It makes sense, doesn't it? It’s a word we use all the time, but the spelling—specifically that I before E—can be a bit of a brain teaser when you’re staring at those empty boxes. It’s a common adjective, often used to describe a bright sunset, a spicy bowl of ramen, or a coach's halftime speech.
Breaking Down "FIERY"
The word FIERY comes from the Old English fȳren, and it’s one of those words that has survived through the centuries because it’s so evocative. Interestingly, some people always want to spell it "firy" or "firey." The English language is a bit of a mess, isn't it? The fact that the "e" moves after the "i" when you turn "fire" into "fiery" is exactly the kind of thing that makes Wordle a daily challenge for millions.
If you struggled today, don't sweat it. Yesterday's word was RACER, which was arguably much easier to find due to the common consonants. Today was a step up in difficulty simply because of the orthography.
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Next Steps for Wordle Fans
To keep your streak alive and improve your game, consider these tactical adjustments for your next session:
- Vary your openers: If you always use the same word, you’re training your brain to solve the same patterns. Try a word with an F or a Y tomorrow just to see how it changes your flow.
- Check the "E" and "Y" connection: Many five-letter adjectives end in Y, but they often have an E tucked away somewhere in the middle.
- Review your stats: Look at your win percentage. If you're hovering around 95-98%, you're doing better than most of the planet.
Check back tomorrow morning to see if the streak continues. Until then, stay curious and keep those opening guesses strong.