Wordle puzzle
Wordle puzzle

NEW YORK — Thursday's Wordle, puzzle No. 1958, offered a common, everyday word. A repeated vowel and an unusual letter pattern could still slow down players who assume each letter appears only once.

The answer for Thursday, Oct. 29, 2026, is near the end of this article, for players who want to keep their streak going on their own. The hints come first and start gently.

How Wordle works

Wordle is published daily by The New York Times. Players get six tries to guess a hidden five-letter word, and after each guess the tiles change color:

Green: the letter is in the word and in the right spot. Yellow: the letter is in the word but in the wrong spot. Gray: the letter is not in the word.

A new puzzle is released at midnight local time, and everyone in the same time zone gets the same word. The shared challenge has made Wordle a daily ritual for millions of people since software engineer Josh Wardle created it. The Times bought the game in early 2022.

Hints for Wordle No. 1958

These clues go from vague to specific. Stop reading when you have enough.

Hint 1: The word has two vowels. Hint 2: One letter appears twice. Hint 3: The word can be a noun or an adjective. Hint 4: It's connected to machines and movement. Hint 5: You'll find one under the hood of most cars, or powering a fan or a blender.

More specific clues

The word starts with M and ends with R. The repeated letter is O, which appears in the second and fourth positions. The middle letter is T.

PC Guide's Jack Goodall described the answer as a word that "refers to a machine that produces movement or rotation by converting electrical energy into mechanical energy."

Why it could be tricky

Thursday's answer is a familiar word, but its alternating pattern of consonant, vowel, consonant, vowel, consonant, with the same vowel twice, can trip players up.

Players who find an O early may not think to test it in a second position. Many guessers avoid repeating letters, which can cost turns when the answer contains a double. The ending R is common, but the M at the start may not be tested until later in the game.

Strategy tips

Seasoned players lean on a few habits that would help:

Consider repeated letters. If you've found only a few letters by your third or fourth guess, a double letter may be the reason. Test common endings. Words ending in -ER, -OR and -AR are common, so checking R early can narrow the field. Don't reuse gray letters. Once a letter is ruled out, leave it out of later guesses unless you're playing in hard mode. Use yellow tiles for placement. A yellow letter also tells you where it does not go, which helps pin down its position.

Today's Wordle answer

The answer to Wordle No. 1958 on Thursday, Oct. 29, 2026, is:

MOTOR

A "motor" is a machine that converts energy, often electrical energy, into motion. Motors power everything from household appliances and power tools to electric vehicles and industrial machinery.

The word is also commonly used to describe things related to cars and driving, as in "motor vehicle" or "motorway," the British term for a highway. In British English, "motor" can also be informal slang for a car. As a verb, "to motor" means to travel by car or boat, or, informally, to move quickly.

In biology, "motor" describes nerves and skills related to movement, as in "motor skills."

Origins

The word comes from Latin, where "motor" means "mover." It is related to words such as "motion," "motive" and "emotion," all rooted in the Latin verb for "to move."

Related New York Times games

Wordle is one of several daily puzzles from The New York Times:

Connections asks players to sort 16 words into four hidden groups. Strands is a themed word search. Spelling Bee challenges players to make as many words as possible from seven letters. The Mini Crossword is a quick daily crossword.

Many players do several of these together as part of a morning routine. Answers are widely shared online, but players are generally encouraged to avoid spoilers on social media by posting only their grid of colored squares.

Sharing results

After solving, players can share a grid of colored squares that shows how many guesses they needed without revealing the word. The format became a social media fixture when the game took off and is still a popular way to compare scores with friends and family.

A new Wordle puzzle is released every day at midnight local time.