You’ve probably been there. It’s 8:00 AM, you’re on your second cup of coffee, and you’re staring at a grid of gray squares that feel like a personal insult. You had a "surefire" starter word. You thought you were a vocabulary wizard. But now, you have two guesses left and nothing but a yellow 'R' to show for it.
This is exactly why wordle hints tom's guide has become the unofficial manual for the internet’s favorite word game.
Look, we all want to pretend we’re masters of linguistics, but sometimes the New York Times picks a word like "CHASM" or "MYRRH" and suddenly your 400-day streak is looking real flimsy. I’ve seen the panic. It’s real.
The Science of the "Tom’s Guide Method"
The reason people flock to Marc McLaren’s daily updates over at Tom’s Guide isn't just for the answer. Honestly, if you just wanted the answer, you’d just Google "wordle answer today" and be done with it. People go there for the logic.
Marc is a self-proclaimed Wordle geek who actually crunched the numbers on all 2,309 possible solutions. He found that the game isn't just about knowing big words; it's about probability. For example, did you know that 'S' is the most common starting letter, but 'E' is the most common ending letter?
Most people just guess. The experts calculate.
Why your starter word probably sucks
If you’re still starting with "ADIEU" because you want to "get the vowels out of the way," I have some bad news. It's kinda a trap.
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While getting vowels is nice, the Tom’s Guide strategy leans heavily toward consonants. Why? Because consonants rule out more words. If you find out there's no 'S', 'T', or 'R' in the word, you’ve just eliminated a massive chunk of the dictionary. If you find out there’s no 'U', you... well, you haven't really narrowed it down much.
Common expert-approved starters include:
- STARE (The Tom's Guide favorite for its letter placement)
- SLATE (The WordleBot's top pick)
- TRACE (A mathematical powerhouse)
- CRANE (The old-school classic)
How to use Wordle hints without "cheating"
There’s a spectrum of help. You've got the "I just need a nudge" group and the "I’m about to lose my streak and I will do anything to save it" group.
The wordle hints tom's guide approach usually breaks down clues into layers. They might tell you if there are double letters—which is a total game-changer because our brains naturally hate looking for two 'E's. Then they’ll give you a cryptic clue about the definition.
The "Yellow Letter" Trap
One of the biggest mistakes players make is what I call the "Hard Mode" brain lock. You get a yellow 'I' in the second spot, so in your next guess, you put the 'I' in the third spot. Then the fourth. You’re effectively wasting guesses just moving one letter around.
The pros suggest a "fishing" guess. If you’re stuck with three potential words—say, FOLLY, JOLLY, and MOLLY—don't guess them one by one. You'll run out of turns. Instead, guess a word like "JAMB." It uses the J and the M. If one of those lights up, you know the answer without wasting three turns on the same suffix.
What really happened to the Wordle Archive?
A lot of people remember the days when you could go back and play every Wordle you ever missed. It was a great way to practice. Then the NYT bought the game and the fan-made archives started vanishing.
Nowadays, if you want the archive, you basically have to be an NYT Games subscriber. It sucks, but it’s the reality of the game’s "premium" era. This shift is part of why daily hint guides have exploded. If you can’t practice on the old ones, you better not fail the current one.
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Is the game actually getting harder?
People complain about this every week on X (formerly Twitter). "Wordle is too obscure now!" "The NYT is trying to kill my joy!"
The truth? The word list hasn't actually changed that much. However, the editor has. Ever since the Times assigned a human editor to oversee the daily word, the choices have felt a bit more... "themed" or "human." They aren't just pulling from a random computer-generated list anymore. They might pick a word that feels topical, which is both a blessing and a curse for your strategy.
Actionable Steps to Save Your Streak
Stop guessing. Start measuring. If you’re down to your last two turns and the grid looks like a graveyard, here is the protocol:
- Check for double letters. If you have a green 'A' and a green 'S', don't assume they only appear once. "GLASS" is a thing. "ABASH" is a thing.
- Look at the "unused" list. Most people stare at the green/yellow letters. Instead, look at the keyboard at the bottom. What's left? If you haven't used 'P', 'L', or 'Y', can you form a "burner" word to test them all?
- Identify the "Consonant Clusters." If you see a 'C' and an 'H', they’re probably together. If you see an 'S' and a 'T', they’re buddies. Use that logic to narrow down the structure.
Maintaining a streak isn't about being the smartest person in the room. It's about being the most disciplined. When the pressure is on, use the hints, use the math, and for heaven's sake, stop starting with "OUIJA." It’s a cool word, but it’s a terrible Wordle strategy.