You're staring at those empty gray boxes again. It’s Sunday morning, the coffee is probably getting cold, and that fourth row is looking dangerously yellow. We've all been there. Wordle has this weird way of feeling like a gentle brain teaser one day and a personal insult the next. If you are struggling with the clue for todays wordle, you aren't alone. Today’s word is one of those tricky ones that feels obvious only after you’ve burned through your fifth guess and the solution pops up in that mocking green animation.
Josh Wardle probably didn't realize he was creating a global morning ritual when he built this for his partner back in the day. Now, owned by the New York Times, the game has evolved. It’s not just about luck. It’s about letter frequency, vowel placement, and occasionally, just sheer frustration. Today's puzzle—Wordle 1309—is a perfect example of why the game remains so addictive.
Hints to Get You Moving
Sometimes you don't want the answer handed to you on a silver platter. You just need a nudge. A little shove in the right direction to save your streak.
First off, let's talk vowels. Today’s word isn't overstuffed with them, but it’s got two. They are relatively common, but their placement is what usually trips people up. If you've tried "ADIEU" or "AUDIO" as your starting word—the classic strategy—you’ve likely already seen some yellow or green sparks.
Think about the structure of the word. It starts with a consonant. It ends with a consonant. In between? That’s where the magic (or the headache) happens. There are no repeating letters today. That’s a huge relief for many players because double-letter words like "MAMMA" or "SISSY" are absolute streak-killers.
If you want a more specific clue for todays wordle, think about the natural world. Think about something that isn't quite a forest, but it's certainly more than a single tree. It’s a word that evokes a bit of a peaceful, shaded vibe. It’s common in literature and often used to describe a small group of trees or a specialized area of growth.
Why Today's Word Is Tricky
Language is messy. Today's answer, GROVE, is a word we all know, but it’s not necessarily at the front of our minds when we’re cycling through five-letter combinations. The "GV" combination in the middle is what usually stalls the brain. We are used to "GR" at the start—words like "GREAT," "GRAPH," or "GRIND." But once you lock in that "G" and "R," the "V" is often the last letter people guess.
Let's look at the data for a second. According to the NYT Wordle Bot—which analyzes thousands of games every day—the average player takes about four guesses to solve a puzzle. If you’re on guess five right now, you’re just slightly behind the curve, but you’re still in the game. The key is to stop guessing random words and start "burning" letters. If you have "GRO_E" and you aren't sure if it’s "GROVE" or something else, use a word that contains as many of those missing consonants as possible to narrow it down.
Actually, the "V" is the real hero (or villain) here. It’s a low-frequency letter. It doesn't show up nearly as often as "S," "T," or "R." Because our brains are wired to look for high-probability patterns, we often skip right over it. You might have tried "GROPE" or "GRORE" (which isn't a word, but hey, we get desperate) before hitting the right one.
The Strategy Behind the Streak
Maintaining a long Wordle streak is 20% vocabulary and 80% emotional regulation. When you see three greens in a row, the temptation is to "hard mode" it—forcing yourself to use those letters in every subsequent guess. But sometimes, it’s smarter to play a word that you know is wrong just to eliminate four or five potential letters.
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For the clue for todays wordle, if you had the "G" and "R" but were stuck, playing a word like "VIBES" or "VAPID" would have told you instantly if the "V" was involved. It feels counterintuitive to waste a turn, but it’s the only way to avoid the "trap" words where five different letters could fit in one spot.
The Answer for Today
Okay, enough dancing around it. If you’ve reached the end of your rope and you just want to keep that streak alive, here it is.
The Wordle answer for Sunday, January 18, is GROVE.
It’s a beautiful word, honestly. A "grove" usually refers to a small group of trees that grow close together, often without much undergrowth. You might think of an orange grove in Florida or a mysterious grove of oaks in a fantasy novel. It’s a word that feels sturdy.
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Practical Steps for Tomorrow
Don't let today’s struggle get you down. Every Wordle fail—or near-fail—is a learning opportunity for the next day.
- Switch your starter: If you always use "ADIEU," try "STARE" or "CRANE." These provide a better balance of common consonants and vowels.
- Check the "Y": Many people forget that "Y" acts as a vowel. If you're stuck on a word with only one visible vowel, start looking at the end of the word for a "Y."
- Step away: If you're on guess four and drawing a blank, put the phone down. Your brain continues to process the pattern in the background. Come back in twenty minutes, and the answer will often jump out at you.
- Watch for patterns: Learn the common English clusters like "CH," "ST," "BR," and "GR." Today’s word used that "GR" opener, which is very common.
Keep your head up. There’s always another puzzle tomorrow at midnight. Whether you got it in two or six, you’re still part of the global club that finds joy in five little squares.