Wordle is an online word puzzle which was acquired by The New York Times in January of 2022. The object of the game is to guess the word of the day. The gameboard is a 5X6 grid. You play by typing valid, six-letter-words into the grid. You have six chances to guess the correct word. After each guess, individual letters may change colors. If a letter turns green, that means it is in the word, and in the correct position on the board. If a letter turns yellow, that means it is in the word, but it is not in the correct position on the board. A good strategy to pick a starting word that uses a lot of vowels, but even the best strategists may have been bested by these top ten most difficult Wordle words.

10. TACIT

This uncommon word from February 20th, according to the Merriam Webster Dictionary, means to be “expressed or carried on without words or speech.” 

9. ALLOW

This word from March 19th means “to permit.” Certainly it is the double-letters and the uncommon letter “w” in this word which made it a difficult puzzle solution. 

8. AROMA

This word from February 15th means “a distinctive, pervasive, and usually pleasant or savory smell.”  It could be the uncommon placement of letters that made this word difficult to solve. 

7. THEIR

This word from March 21st is a pronoun used with “an indefinite third person singular antecedent.” This one was difficult to realize because most people would not expect a pronoun to be the word of the day (rather than a verb, noun, or adjective). 

6. MOVIE

This word from March 17th seems common enough, but it was surely the inclusion of three syllables along with the uncommon letter “v” which made this one challenging. 

5. DEPOT

This word from March 25th means “a place for storing goods or motor vehicles.” The silent “T” in this one proved to be problematic for many. 

4. VIVID

This word from February 25th, meaning “very strong in chroma,” disorientated Wordle players with its repetition of both the uncommon letter, “V” and the uncommon letter “I.”

3. CYNIC

This word from February 14th means, “one who believes that human conduct is motivated wholly by self-interest.” Not only is this an uncommon word, but it also includes the rarely used “Y” and the letter “C” twice. 

2. NYMPH

This word from March 27th, which refers to a maiden in folklore, is highly uncommon and tricky to spell. 

1. EPOXY

This word from March 26th, which names a corrosion-resistant composite, was the most difficult Wordle word to date – maybe predominantly for its unexpected use of the letter “X.” 

Soon to join this list is the word “Aphid,” the highly unknown word which was the Wordle solution on July 21st. 

Author’s Bio

Jackie Donaldson is an American writer and teacher. Her work has been published in Loud Coffee Press, The Vehicle, Across the Margin and others.