Wordle is a funny thing. You wake up, grab your coffee, and think you've got the world figured out until a grid of gray squares tells you otherwise. Honestly, today is one of those days. If you're looking for the Wordle hit of the day for Thursday, January 15, 2026, you aren't alone in your frustration.
The game has changed since Josh Wardle sold it to the New York Times for a "low seven-figure" sum back in 2022. People always claim it’s getting harder. It isn't, technically. The dictionary hasn't changed. But the psychological warfare of a single-vowel word? That’s very real.
Why Today's Wordle is a Total Trap
Today's answer is CHASM.
Yeah. Take a second. It's a "C" start, a "M" finish, and only one lonely vowel sitting right in the middle. Most of us have been trained to hunt for vowels first. We use "ADIEU" or "AUDIO" and feel like geniuses when three boxes turn yellow. Today? Those "genius" openers are basically useless.
If you started with "ADIEU," you only found the "A." That leaves you with a massive list of possibilities. According to WordleBot—the NYT’s own AI judge that tells you how bad your guesses were—starting with something like "ORATE" only leaves you with about 81 possible words. That’s a lot of guessing for a six-try game.
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The Anatomy of a Chasm
A chasm isn't just a big hole in the ground, though that's the literal definition. It’s a "yawning fissure." In literature and dramatic prose, we use it to describe a deep divide between people. It’s a heavy word. It feels heavy when you’re typing it into the boxes, too.
The tricky part about CHASM is the "CH" and "SM" pairing. We see "CH" all the time—think "CHAIR" or "CHART." But that "SM" ending? It’s sneaky. It’s not as common as "ST" or "ED," and when your brain is scanning for a five-letter fit, "CHASM" often sits right outside your immediate vocabulary.
Strategies That Actually Work (And Some That Don't)
There are two schools of thought when it comes to the Wordle hit of the day.
Some players are "Hard Mode" devotees. They get one green letter and they’re locked in. They have to use that letter in the same spot for every subsequent guess. It’s honorable, sure, but it’s also how you lose a 200-day streak on a word like "CHASM" because you got stuck in a "CH___" loop.
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Then there are the "Eliminators." They don't care about the green squares yet. They just want to burn through as many common consonants as possible.
- The Vowel Hunter: Starts with "ADIEU" or "OUAJA" (which isn't a word, don't try it). This person is struggling today.
- The Consonant Crusher: Starts with "STARE" or "CRANE." These folks are having a much better Thursday.
- The Chaos Agent: Types "FUZZY" just because they like the letter Z. Godspeed.
Honestly, the best second guess if you only have an "A" is something that tests "C," "H," and "S." A word like "CLASP" or "SHALE" would have narrowed today's options down to a handful.
The Evolution of the Wordle Obsession
It’s been years, and we’re still doing this. Why?
Maybe it’s the community. Go on Reddit or X (formerly Twitter) and you’ll see the "Daily Wordle" threads filled with colored square emojis. There’s a shared language there. When someone posts a grid that’s all gray until the sixth row, we all feel that collective shot of adrenaline.
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The New York Times has expanded the "Games" universe with Connections and Strands, but Wordle remains the anchor. It’s the three-minute ritual that connects a grandmother in Ohio to a college student in London. It’s simple. It’s free (mostly). And it’s a tiny bit of order in a world that feels pretty chaotic.
Common Mistakes to Avoid Tomorrow
- Don't forget the "Y": It’s the sixth vowel. If you’re stuck, check for a "Y" at the end.
- Double letters are real: Just because you found one "E" doesn't mean there isn't another one hiding in there. (Thankfully, not today).
- Step away: If you're on guess five and your brain is melting, put the phone down. Your subconscious will keep working on the patterns while you do the dishes.
How to Save Your Streak Right Now
If you haven't put in your final guess yet, look at the letters you have left. If you have a green "A" in the middle and a yellow "S" or "C" floating around, think about those "CH" starts.
Don't waste a turn on a word you know is wrong just to "test" a letter unless you're truly desperate. Look at the keyboard on the screen. Which common letters are still white? If "C," "H," "S," and "M" are still there, you know what to do.
Your Actionable Next Steps:
- Update your starting word: If you’re still using "ADIEU," consider switching to "STARE" or "CRANE" for a week to see if your average guess count drops.
- Check the Archive: If you're an NYT subscriber, go back and play the puzzles from 2021 to see how the "vibes" of the words have shifted over time.
- Note the patterns: Start paying attention to how many words end in "M" or "P." It’s rarer than you think, and spotting those outliers early is the hallmark of a Wordle pro.
Now, go finish that grid and keep the streak alive for another twenty-four hours.