Well over a year since Wordle was first released to the public in October 2021 the viral word game shows few signs of losing its extraordinary popularity.
The game was first invented during coronavirus lockdown by Josh Wardle, a New York-based software engineer, who simply wanted a game "for me and my partner to enjoy."
Wordle was purchased by the New York Times in January 2022 for an undisclosed seven figure sum, although the game remains free to play.
Speaking to Newsweek Erhan Aslan, an associate professor of applied linguistics at the University of Reading in the U.K., gave some advice for Wordle players.
He said: "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.
"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 today'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.
'Wordle' #665, Clues for Saturday, April 15
Newsweek has put together five clues to help you solve today's Wordle puzzle.
Hint #1: The answer contains three vowels, one of which functions as a consonant in a different sentence structure.
Hint #2: There are no repeated letters.
Hint #3: Synonyms for today's Wordle include "anguish," "torment" and "torture."
Hint #4: Associated with pain.
Hint #5: The final letter is a vowel.
The answer to today's Wordle follows, so please stop reading if you're still trying to complete the challenge.
'Wordle' #665 Answer for Saturday, April 15
The answer to today's Wordle is "Agony."
Well, that was a fun one! Not the toughest Wordle puzzle we've yet faced, but still a good brainteaser. Did you get it? Congratulations if so but please don't worry if not, one of the best things about Wordle is seeing if you can improve your score over time. Either way, we hope to see you again on Sunday when Newsweek will be back with another round of Wordle hints and tips.
What Does 'Agony' Mean?
The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines agony as "intense pain of mind or body."
For example: "My dad was in agony after stepping on a shard of glass."
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
James Bickerton is a Newsweek U.S. News reporter based in London, U.K. His focus is covering U.S. politics and world ... Read more
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