Wordle puzzle
Wordle puzzle

NEW YORK — The New York Times' Wordle served up a cheeky challenge Saturday, with an informal word that may catch some players off guard.

Wordle puzzle No. 1974, for Saturday, Nov. 14, 2026, asks players to guess a five-letter word in six tries. Spoilers follow, so players who want to solve on their own should start with the hints below.

Hints for today's Wordle

Players who want a nudge without the full answer can work through these clues one at a time:

Hint 1: The word has one standard vowel, plus a Y that acts as a vowel. Hint 2: No letter repeats. Hint 3: It is an informal adjective, more common in British English. Hint 4: Fans of the "Austin Powers" films may recognize the word as a favourite of the title character. Hint 5: The word starts with R and ends with Y.

Today's Wordle answer

The answer to Wordle No. 1974 on Saturday, Nov. 14, 2026, is RANDY.

The word is an informal adjective meaning lustful or eager for romance. It is widely used in British slang and turns up often in comedies. It is also a common first name, which may lead some players to doubt it at first.

Why today's puzzle may be tricky

RANDY uses only common letters, but its structure can trip players up. With one standard vowel, A, and a Y in the final spot, players who lean on vowel-heavy starting words may find few hits early.

The ending is another trap. Many five-letter words end in "-ANDY," including CANDY, DANDY, HANDY and SANDY. Players who land on _ANDY by their third or fourth guess risk burning through attempts one letter at a time.

Tips to protect your streak

Wordle experts suggest a few strategies for puzzles like this:

Use a strong opener. Words such as CRANE, SLATE or TRACE cover common consonants and vowels and can quickly narrow the field. Watch for Y. When early guesses show few vowels, consider that Y may be filling a vowel role, often at the end of the word. Avoid letter-by-letter guessing. When several words share a pattern, as with CANDY, HANDY, SANDY and RANDY, use a guess that tests several possible first letters at once. A word such as CHARS, for example, checks C, H and R together. Remember the word list. Wordle answers are chosen from common English words, but informal and slang terms do appear.

Recent Wordle answers

Players catching up on recent puzzles can check the past week's answers:

Friday, Nov. 13: MOXIE Thursday, Nov. 12: KARAT Wednesday, Nov. 11: BLESS Tuesday, Nov. 10: TRUCE Monday, Nov. 9: LOAMY Sunday, Nov. 8: FIRST Saturday, Nov. 7: PRATE

Recent puzzles have mixed everyday words such as FIRST and TRUCE with less common choices such as LOAMY, PRATE and MOXIE.

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, and it has since become one of the newspaper's most popular digital products.

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

A new puzzle is released at midnight local time, so some players around the world may already be on the next day's game.

Players can also use The New York Times' WordleBot tool to analyze their guesses after solving.

The next Wordle puzzle, No. 1975, will be released at midnight local time Sunday.