Wordle puzzle
Wordle puzzle

NEW YORK — Friday's Wordle may look simple once it's solved, but a rarely used letter could cost some players a guess or two before the weekend.

The New York Times' daily word game released puzzle No. 1938 for Friday, Oct. 9, 2026, challenging players once again to find a five-letter word in six attempts or fewer. Below are hints that build from gentle nudges to stronger clues, followed by 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 hidden five-letter word. After each guess, the tiles change color to show how close the guess was. A green tile means the letter is in the word and in the correct spot. A yellow tile means the letter is in the word but in the wrong position. A gray tile means the letter does not appear in the word at all.

The game was created by software engineer Josh Wardle, who released it publicly in late 2021. The New York Times bought Wordle in early 2022 for an undisclosed sum, and it has since become a cornerstone of the newspaper's games lineup.

A new puzzle is released at midnight in each player's local time zone, meaning some players may be solving Friday's puzzle while others are still working on Thursday's.

Hints for Wordle No. 1938

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

  • Hint 1: Today's word contains two vowels.
  • Hint 2: There are no repeated letters.
  • Hint 3: The word begins and ends with consonants.
  • Hint 4: Think of something very important, or a military officer's rank.
  • Hint 5: The word starts with the letter M and ends with the letter R.

Strategy tips for today's puzzle

Friday's answer includes one of the least common letters in the English language, which can make it harder to find through standard starting words. Here are a few strategies that can help:

Start with common letters. Many experienced players open with words packed with frequently used letters such as S, T, R, A and E. The New York Times' own analysis tool, WordleBot, suggests SLATE as a starting word. Openers like CRANE, TRACE and STARE work on similar principles.

Use your second guess to eliminate. If your first guess produces only gray tiles, use your second word to test a fresh set of common letters rather than trying to solve immediately. Covering more of the alphabet early gives you more information to work with.

Don't forget uncommon letters. When common consonants keep coming back gray, consider letters that appear less often, such as J, Q, X and Z. Today's puzzle rewards players who think beyond the usual suspects.

Watch letter positions. A yellow tile tells you what isn't true as much as what is. If a letter shows yellow in the second position, rule out that spot in future guesses and try it elsewhere.

Think about word shapes. Many five-letter words follow common patterns, such as consonant-vowel-consonant-vowel-consonant. Today's answer follows exactly that pattern, which can help narrow the possibilities once you have a few letters confirmed.

Avoid recent answers. Wordle rarely repeats an answer soon after it has appeared, so knowing recent solutions can help you avoid wasted guesses.

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Recent Wordle answers

For players catching up or tracking patterns, here are the answers from the past week:

  • 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
  • Thursday, Oct. 1 (No. 1930): RITZY

The past week has featured a mix of approachable words and tougher solutions, including USURY, with its repeated U, and RITZY, which relies on the less common Z.

Final warning: The answer is below

If you want to keep trying, stop reading here.

Today's Wordle answer

The answer to Wordle No. 1938 for Friday, Oct. 9, 2026, is:

MAJOR

What the word means

"Major" can be used as an adjective meaning greater in importance, size or seriousness, as in a major decision or a major storm. As a noun, it refers to a military officer rank above captain, or to a student's primary field of study in college. It also has a musical meaning, describing a type of scale or key.

The word comes from the Latin maior, meaning "greater" or "larger," the comparative form of magnus, or "great." It entered English through French, first referring to greater importance or rank, and later took on military, academic and musical meanings.

Why today's puzzle may be tricky

The J in MAJOR is what makes Friday's word stand out. J is among the least frequently used letters in English, and most players do not include it in early guesses. Players who quickly identified the M, A, O and R may still have needed an extra turn or two to land on the J in the middle.

Words with similar patterns, such as MANOR, MAYOR and MALOR-style guesses, could also lead players down the wrong path if they fill the middle slot with more common consonants first. Testing MANOR or MAYOR could cost a valuable guess before arriving at the correct answer.

Bonus: Today's Quordle answers

For players who enjoy a bigger challenge, Quordle asks players to solve four Wordle-style puzzles at once within nine guesses. Friday's Quordle answers, game No. 1719, are OLDEN, DUNCE, SWATH and HILLY.

Keep your streak alive

Wordle's popularity rests largely on its daily rhythm and shareable results, with many players protecting streaks that stretch back years. The best way to keep a streak going is consistent strategy: open with a strong starting word, use each guess to gather information and resist the urge to guess wildly when you're down to your last attempts.

A new puzzle will be available at midnight local time, giving players a fresh chance to test their vocabulary on Saturday.

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