Wordle puzzle
Wordle puzzle

The New York Times' Wordle puzzle for Friday, Nov. 13, 2026, asks players to show some courage on a day many people consider unlucky. Thursday's puzzle is game No. 1,973 of the daily word game, and its answer is a word that describes boldness and determination.

Players get six attempts to guess a five-letter word. After each guess, tiles turn green for letters in the correct spot, yellow for letters in the word but in the wrong spot, and gray for letters not in the word.

Several puzzle guides rated Friday's word as moderately challenging, mostly because of an uncommon letter in the middle.

Hints for Wordle No. 1,973

For players who want help without spoiling the answer, here are progressive hints:

Hint 1: The word is a noun that describes personal character. Hint 2: It has three vowels, and no letter appears twice. Hint 3: You might hear it when someone praises a person's bold behavior. Hint 4: The word starts with the letter M and ends with E. Hint 5: It means nerve, courage or spirited determination.

The word also contains one of the least common letters in English, which can make it hard to spot. The final two letters are both vowels, a combination rarely seen at the end of Wordle answers.

Spoiler warning: The answer is below.

Today's Wordle answer

The answer to Wordle No. 1,973 for Friday, Nov. 13, 2026, is MOXIE.

Moxie is a noun meaning nerve, courage or strength of character. It can also describe energy, wit or know-how.

For example: "She had the moxie to ask for a raise."

The word has an unusual origin. It comes from Moxie, a soft drink first sold in New England in the late 1800s as a "nerve food" tonic. Over time, the brand name became a slang term for courage and spirit.

Only 97 of the 1,973 Wordle answers before Friday began with the letter M, according to puzzle tracker Nerds Chalk.

How common starting words performed

Popular opening guesses did not narrow the field much on Friday. After SLATE, 113 possible words still fit; after CRANE, 104 remained; and after ADIEU, 54 were left, according to Nerds Chalk.

Common starters such as CRANE, SLATE, STARE and TRACE each share one letter with the answer in the correct position.

One earlier Wordle answer, MOVIE, matches four of Friday's five letters in the same positions. Players who think of MOVIE early may only need to swap one letter.

Tips for solving tricky Wordles

Puzzle experts suggest several strategies for days like this:

Use vowel-heavy starters. Words such as ADIEU or AUDIO can quickly confirm which vowels are in the answer. Consider rare letters. When common consonants are ruled out, players should try less common letters such as X, Z, J or Q. Watch the word ending. Words ending in two vowels, such as "-IE," can be easy to overlook. Avoid wasted guesses. Each guess should use as many new letters as possible to eliminate options.

Recent Wordle answers

The New York Times began reintroducing older answers on Feb. 2, 2026, so past solutions can now appear again.

The last 10 Wordle answers before Friday were:

Nov. 12: KARAT Nov. 11: BLESS Nov. 10: TRUCE Nov. 9: LOAMY Nov. 8: FIRST Nov. 7: PRATE Nov. 6: DRECK Nov. 5: PARCH Nov. 4: NUTTY Nov. 3: POUCH

About Wordle

Wordle was created by software engineer Josh Wardle and became a global sensation in late 2021. The New York Times bought the game in early 2022. The daily puzzle is edited by Tracy Bennett.

A new Wordle puzzle is released each day at midnight local time. Players can share their results on social media using a grid of colored squares that shows their progress without revealing the answer.

The New York Times also offers WordleBot, a tool that analyzes each player's guesses and shows how efficiently they solved the puzzle.

Wordle No. 1,974 will be released Saturday, Nov. 14.