Wordle puzzle
Wordle puzzle

NEW YORK — Monday's Wordle opens the week with a word that begins with one of the least common starting letters in the game, making it a potential streak-breaker for players who rely on standard opening strategies.

The New York Times' daily word game released puzzle No. 1941 for Monday, Oct. 12, 2026, challenging players to find a hidden five-letter word in six attempts or fewer. Below are hints arranged from gentle to more revealing, strategy tips and, for those who need it, the answer.

Spoiler warning: The answer to today's Wordle appears later in this article. Read only as far as you need.

How Wordle works

Each day, players get six tries to guess a five-letter word. After each guess, the tiles change color. A green tile means the letter is correct and in the right position. A yellow tile means the letter appears in the word but in a different spot. A gray tile means the letter is not in the word at all.

Wordle was created by software engineer Josh Wardle and released to the public in late 2021. The New York Times bought the game in early 2022, and it has since become a daily habit for millions of players.

A new puzzle is released at midnight local time, which means some players may already be working on Monday's puzzle while others are still finishing Sunday's.

Hints for Wordle No. 1941

For players who want to keep solving on their own, here are hints arranged from least to most revealing.

  • Hint 1: Today's word is related to music.
  • Hint 2: It contains two vowels, and no letter appears twice.
  • Hint 3: It can be used as both a noun and a verb.
  • Hint 4: Think of a singing style often associated with the Swiss Alps.
  • Hint 5: The word starts with Y and ends with L.

Strategy tips for today's puzzle

Remember that Y can start a word. Many players think of Y mainly as an ending letter, as in recent answers such as BUMPY and DIMLY. Today's answer uses it at the front, a position few players test early. Only a handful of past Wordle answers have begun with Y.

Start with strong openers. Many players begin with words packed with common letters. The New York Times' WordleBot often recommends SLATE, which would reveal both L and E in today's puzzle. Other popular choices include CRANE, TRACE and STARE.

Use guesses to eliminate. If your first guess produces only a few yellow tiles, use your second guess to test a fresh set of letters. Letters like O and D may not appear in your opener, so including them in a second guess can quickly narrow the field.

Think about word endings. Common endings such as -EL, -ER and -ED account for many five-letter words. If E and L appear near the end, consider words that end in -EL, such as MODEL, HOTEL or BAGEL, before landing on the answer.

Avoid recent answers. Wordle rarely repeats answers soon after they appear, so knowing recent solutions can help you avoid wasted guesses.

Recent Wordle answers

Here are the answers from the past 10 days:

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  • Sunday, Oct. 11 (No. 1940): UNCAP
  • Saturday, Oct. 10 (No. 1939): BUMPY
  • Friday, Oct. 9 (No. 1938): MAJOR
  • Thursday, Oct. 8 (No. 1937): STREW
  • Wednesday, Oct. 7 (No. 1936): PROVE
  • Tuesday, Oct. 6 (No. 1935): DIMLY
  • Monday, Oct. 5 (No. 1934): MOCHA
  • Sunday, Oct. 4 (No. 1933): SHACK
  • Saturday, Oct. 3 (No. 1932): PEEVE
  • Friday, Oct. 2 (No. 1931): USURY

Recent puzzles have leaned on unusual letter placement, from the J in MAJOR to the U that opened UNCAP, and today's answer continues that pattern.

Final warning: The answer is below

If you want to keep trying, stop reading here.

Today's Wordle answer

The answer to Wordle No. 1941 for Monday, Oct. 12, 2026, is:

YODEL

What the word means

"Yodel" means to sing with rapid shifts between a normal chest voice and a high falsetto. The style is closely associated with traditional music in the Alpine regions of Switzerland and Austria, where it was historically used to communicate across mountain valleys. It also became a feature of American country and western music in the 20th century.

As a noun, a yodel refers to the song or call itself.

The word comes from the German "jodeln," which is thought to have been formed from the syllable "jo," a sound used in such calls.

Why today's puzzle may be tricky

YODEL uses fairly common letters, including O, D, E and L, but its starting Y makes it harder to spot. Players who found the -DEL or -EL ending early may have cycled through more familiar words such as MODEL before considering a word that begins with Y.

The answer also contains only two standard vowels, with the remaining letters spread out in a way that common opening words may not fully reveal.

Once players place Y at the start and recognize the -EL ending, however, the answer tends to come quickly.

Bonus: Today's Quordle answers

For players looking for a bigger challenge, Quordle asks players to solve four Wordle-style puzzles at once within nine guesses. Monday's Quordle answers are HELLO, BELOW, RIGHT and SLANT.

Keep your streak going

Monday's puzzle is a reminder that Wordle often rewards players who think beyond familiar letter positions. When common patterns are not working, considering less common starting letters can unlock the answer.

A new Wordle puzzle will be available at midnight local time, giving players a fresh chance to keep their streaks alive on Tuesday.

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