Daily Clues (together with Solution) for Wordle Challenge on Sunday, 18th May, 2025
Let's crack the puzzle for Wordle on May 18, 2025! If you're doggedly persisting to find the answer, keep on reading. We're here to help, but remember, WARNING!, there are spoilers ahead for May 18, Wordle #1,429!
Want some hints and clues to tackle today's Wordle challenge? Alrighty then, let's dive in!
How to conquer Wordle
Wordle is a game that tests your word-solving skills on the New York Times website. A fresh puzzle pops up every day at midnight, in your time zone.
To play, begin by guessing a five-letter word. The color-coded letters will reveal some precious information:
- Green letters are correct and in the right positions.
- Yellow letters are correct but in the wrong places.
- Gray letters are clueless ghosts, steering clear of today's solution word.
Craving more tips? Check out our guide to playing Wordle, and my advanced strategy guide. Want some extras? We've got 'em! (Just scroll down after the hints and answers.)
Ready for some hints?
First up, do you notice any oddball letters lurking in today's Wordle? Common letters are those in the old typesetters’ phrase ETAOIN SHRDLU — go on, memorize it, it's like making a new pal named Edwin Shirdloo! Today, we've got four common letters and one oddball.
Here's another tidbit: The word is defined by an extreme emotion. Does that pique your curiosity yet?
Let's move on. You got one repeated letter in this Wordle.
Trying to suss out the vowels? There's just one vowel, and it's repeated twice.
And now for the starting letters: The word kicks off with L.
The closing act? It's D.
Let's solve the puzzle!
Done chasing shadows? Ready for the big reveal? Here's today's word: LIVID.
Want to know how I pieced it together? Well, I unleashed RAISE, TOUCH, and BLIND, landing LIVID as a strong contender.
Yesterday's Wordle answer
Yesterday's Wordle was a moderate challenge. The hint was "an adult compared to a child," and the answer had three common letters, one somewhat common letter, and one uncommon letter.
The answer for yesterday's Wordle was GROWN.
Making sense of Wordle basics
Are you a Wordle newbie? Let's break it down:
- Your objective is to guess the secret word.
- Initially, you'll see an empty letter grid. It's up to you to make the first move. Enter a five-letter word.
- The color-coded letters will guide you, revealing if your guess is spot on. Green means correct and in the right position. Yellow means correct, but in the wrong place. Gray indicates no presence in the secret word.
- You get six guesses. G ultra max! (Game over if you run out of lives.)
Master the art of starting off
What should be your opening gambit for that first guess? The best starters have common letters to maximize the likelihood of getting greens and yellows. The New York Times' Wordle analysis bot proposes starting with one of these:
- CRANE
- TRACE
- SLANT
- CRATE
- CARTE
On the other hand, an MIT analysis found that starting with any of these will eliminate the most possibilities in round one:
- SALET
- REAST
- TRACE
- CRATE
- SLATE
Other honorable mentions are ARISE and ROUND. Opt for words rich in consonants like RENTS or CLAMP for a more strategic approach.
Winning Wordle secrets
Fancy yourself a Wordle master? Delve into our strategy guides:
- The consonant advantage: This guide covers tricks to make the most of consonants.
- Commonality and strategy: This piece emphasizes ensuring a high concentration of common letters.
- The advanced approach: This three-pronged strategy helps you find hints while maximizing chances to win swiftly.
Winning at Wordle means using guesses to gather intel about what letters are in the word. If you know that the word ends in -OUND, avoid wasting precious guesses on MOUND, ROUND, SOUND, HOUND, and instead, wager MARSH and score the big win if the H turns yellow.
Remember, the original Wordle used about 2,300 solution words, but since the NYT took over, they now have an editor who curates the solutions. They may sometimes be tricky words that wouldn't have made the original list and occasionally, they may have themes. For example, they released FEAST on Thanksgiving.
Wordle's sibling and cousin games
Longing for more word fun? Give these sister games a whirl:
- Wheeldle – Keep solving puzzles, one after the other!
- Dordle and Quordle – These challenge you to tackle two (Dordle) or four (Quordle) puzzles concurrently, with the same guesses. Join the fun with Octordle (eight puzzles) and Sedecordle (16 puzzles).
- Waffle – A thrilling word jumble to master by swapping letters on a grid and finding the solutions.
- Absurdle – A twist on Wordle: The solution changes after each guess, but it must keep consistent with its previous feedback. Block it into a corner, and the satisfying victory is yours!
- Squabble – Face off against other Wordle warriors in a competitive, time-bound battle. The last one standing wins.
- Antiwordle – An intriguing twist: You're attempting to avoid the daily solution word! You have to reuse any letters you inadvertently guess correctly, so the longer it takes, the better you're doing.
Happy word wrangling, individuals! May your fingers dance with grace upon the keyboard, and may the wisdom of the ancients (ETAOIN SHRDLU, remember?) guide you to victory. Now, get back to vanquishing today's Wordle challenge!
- On May 18, 2025, Wordle, a popular online word-guessing game, serves as a source of entertainment for many, with its daily puzzle becoming a topic of discussion on social media and pop-culture feeds.
- Wordle, which tests players' problem-solving skills and vocabulary, has gained significant attention due to its simple yet addictive gameplay.
- For those seeking hints and strategies to solve today's Wordle, they can refer to various guides and tips, including a list of common letters that often appear in Wordle solutions, such as the old typesetter's phrase ETAOIN SHRDLU.