Wordle is the most popular word-based puzzles, meaning you’re one of many trying to solve Monday’s game.
Newsweek has put together some tips and hints to help you maintain your winning streak—it’s also listed all the answers if you’re really in a pickle (so scroll carefully).
But first, let’s recap on Wordle‘s history and how to play it.
The puzzle was developed during the COVID-19 lockdown by Josh Wardle, a software engineer based in New York, who simply wanted a game “for me and my partner to enjoy.”
Wardle released Wordle to the general public in October 2021, and it quickly developed a dedicated following across the English-speaking world. Indeed, some particularly hardcore fans took to sharing their results and comparing strategies each day on social media.
In January 2022, Wardle sold Wordle to The New York Times for an undisclosed seven-figure sum, though the game remained free to play.
How to Play Wordle
The trick to conquering the game is to guess the daily five-letter word in six attempts before the answer will be revealed on your screen.
Along the way, a color-coded guide will help you to narrow down what the term could be. If a correct letter is in the correct place, the tile will turn green; if it is in the wrong place, it will turn yellow; and if it is not in the word at all, the tile turns gray.
Previously speaking to Newsweek, Erhan Aslan, a linguistics expert who teaches at the University of Reading in the United Kingdom, provided some tips for Wordle players.
“One thing that I think is important in this game is the starting word chosen. Starting off with words that include commonly used vowels, for example, e and a, consonants such as r and t, and sound sequences might be helpful. Choosing a word that starts with q, z, j, or x, for instance, may not be the best choice,” he said.
Aslan continued: “As you get more feedback after a few guesses, users need to draw on some knowledge of phonics to narrow down or eliminate some words that they might be thinking. For example, if the second letter of the target word is l (indicated by green) and the player feels that the word starts with a consonant, they will need to know that there are only a few consonant cluster possibilities (such as bl, cl, fl, gl, pl, sl).”
The answer to Monday’s puzzle will be revealed at the end of this article, so scroll down with caution if you want to work it out for yourself.
AP
Wordle #1,388, Clues for Monday, April 7
Hint #1: One of the first three letters in the alphabet is featured.
Hint #2: There are only two vowels in the word.
Hint #3: The word can be an adjective.
Hint #4: A synonym for the word could be “brown.”
Hint #5: It could also be a type of tree.
Wordle #1,388, Answer for Monday, April 7
The answer is “hazel.”
Hazel can refer to a small tree that produces nuts or the color hazel—a shade of brown.
Well, that was fun! Did you figure it out? If so congratulations, but please don’t be put off if not. One of the best things about Wordle is trying to improve your results over time and Newsweek will be back with another round of hints and tips on Tuesday.