Honestly, some mornings you wake up, grab your coffee, and think you're going to breeze through your daily puzzles. Then Wordle #1673 happens. If you're staring at a grid full of gray tiles right now, don't feel bad. You're definitely not the only one. Today’s puzzle was a bit of a curveball, mostly because of how the letters are structured. It’s one of those words that feels easy once you see it, but getting there? That’s a different story.
The Wordle solution for today for Saturday, January 17, 2026, is FIERY.
It's a "y" ending. We've seen plenty of those lately, but the "ie" vowel combination in the middle is what usually trips people up. Most players tend to hunt for "a" or "o" early on. If you started with a classic like STARE or ROATE, you probably saw a yellow "e" or "r" and thought you were on the right track. But unless you’ve got a solid strategy for shifting those vowels, FIERY can stay hidden until your very last guess.
Why Today's Wordle Was Tricky
There's something uniquely annoying about words that use "i" and "e" next to each other in this specific order. Our brains often want to put the "e" before the "i" because of the old (and often incorrect) school rhyme. Plus, "f" isn't exactly the most common starting letter in the Wordle dictionary compared to the heavy hitters like "s" or "t."
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According to the latest stats from WordleBot, the average player is clocking in at about 3.8 guesses today. That’s actually not too bad, but it hides the fact that a lot of people are hitting that dreaded fifth or sixth line. If you used a word like FIBER or FLIER as a late-game guess, you were painfully close.
Breaking Down the Hints
If you haven't solved it yet and are just looking for a nudge, here is the vibe of the word:
- It describes something with intense heat.
- It can be used to describe a person's temper or a very spicy salsa.
- There are two vowels, and they are right next to each other.
- No letters repeat.
I've noticed a pattern with the NYT editors lately. They seem to be favoring adjectives that have a bit of "personality" to them. FIERY fits that perfectly. It’s a vivid word. It’s descriptive. It’s also a nightmare for people who rely strictly on consonant-heavy openers like STRIP.
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The Best Strategy for Words Like FIERY
When you’re dealing with a Wordle solution for today that ends in "y," your second guess is the most important move you'll make. Most people waste their second turn repeating letters they already know are yellow. Don't do that. If you got a yellow "r" and "e" from CRANE, don't guess TREES. You need to test new ground.
Try using a "vowel burner" if you're stuck. Words like ADIEU or AUDIO are famous for a reason, even if some purists think they're "cheating." They clear the board. For today's puzzle, ADIEU would have instantly handed you the "i" and the "e" on a silver platter. From there, it's just a matter of figuring out the "f," "r," and "y."
Looking at the Bigger Picture
Wordle has changed a lot since Josh Wardle first sold it to the New York Times. Some players swear the words have gotten more obscure. I don't know if I buy that, but the "trap" words—words that share four out of five letters—are definitely appearing more frequently. Think of words like TIGHT, FIGHT, MIGHT, and SIGHT. Those are the real streak-killers.
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Thankfully, FIERY isn't really a trap word. There aren't many other five-letter words that fit that F_E_Y or FI_RY pattern. Once you get the "f" and the "i" in place, the logic usually follows.
If you lost your streak today, don't sweat it. It happens to the best of us. I remember losing a 140-day streak on a word I didn't even know was a word. That's just the game. The beauty of it is that there's always a new one at midnight.
Actionable Tips for Tomorrow
- Switch your opener: If you've been using the same starting word for a month and it's not working, try SLATE or CRANE.
- Watch the "y": If you get a lot of grays in the first two rows, start testing for a "y" at the end. It's a common fallback for the puzzle designers.
- Don't forget the "u": It’s the most neglected vowel, but it shows up just often enough to ruin a Saturday morning.
Go grab some breakfast and enjoy the rest of your weekend. You've earned it, whether you got it in two or barely scraped by in six.
To stay ahead of the game for tomorrow, try practicing with some "ie" vowel patterns or look into the most common five-letter adjectives in the English language.