Wordle puzzle
Wordle puzzle

NEW YORK — The New York Times' Wordle puzzle for Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2026, is game No. 1,971. Hints come first, followed by the full answer and some strategy tips for players trying to keep their streaks going.

Spoiler warning: The answer appears below the hints. Stop reading after the clues if you want to solve it yourself.

How Wordle works

Players get six tries to guess a hidden five-letter word. After each guess, the tiles change color. Green means the letter is in the right spot, yellow means it is in the word but in a different spot, and gray means it is not in the word at all. A new puzzle comes out at midnight local time, so players around the world see the same word on the same calendar day.

Hints for Wordle #1,971

Hint 1: The word starts with the letter B. Hint 2: There is only one vowel. Hint 3: One letter appears more than once. Hint 4: It is a verb often heard during a religious ceremony. Hint 5: It can mean to make something holy, to ask for divine favor, or simply to approve of something.

Today's puzzle is fairly easy. The New York Times' WordleBot says the average player solves it in about 3.5 guesses in both normal and hard mode.

Today's Wordle answer

The answer to Wordle #1,971 on Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2026, is:

BLESS

Bless is a verb meaning to make something holy through a religious rite or to ask for divine favor on someone or something, as in "The priest will bless the new church." In everyday speech it is also used to give approval, as when someone gives their blessing to a plan, and in the reply "bless you" after a sneeze.

Why today's puzzle can be tricky

BLESS has two features that can slow players down. It has only one vowel, E, so openers that test several vowels may not narrow things down much. It also ends in a double S, and many players don't guess repeated letters until late.

The double letter is the bigger trap. Once a player has B, L, E and S in the right places, it is easy to waste guesses on a fifth letter that isn't there.

Strategy tips

The starting word makes a big difference today. Opening with SLATE leaves only about four possible answers, according to an analysis by the puzzle site Nerdschalk. CRANE is less helpful, leaving about 144 common words in play.

Some players who started with LEAPS reported that only one possible answer remained after the first guess, thanks to the early green S.

A few general tips:

Use common letters early. S, E, A, R, T and L show up in many Wordle answers. Think about double letters. If you're running out of letters, consider whether one appears twice. Endings such as -SS, -LL and -EE are common. Play hard mode carefully. Hard mode requires you to reuse confirmed letters, which can trap you when several words fit the same pattern. Don't rush. There's no time limit, so check your options before each guess.

Recent Wordle answers

Here are the solutions from the past 10 days:

Nov. 10, 2026 (#1,970): TRUCE Nov. 9, 2026 (#1,969): LOAMY Nov. 8, 2026 (#1,968): FIRST Nov. 7, 2026 (#1,967): PRATE Nov. 6, 2026 (#1,966): DRECK Nov. 5, 2026 (#1,965): PARCH Nov. 4, 2026 (#1,964): NUTTY Nov. 3, 2026 (#1,963): POUCH Nov. 2, 2026 (#1,962): SCOOT Nov. 1, 2026 (#1,961): VIPER

Repeat answers now possible

Wordle no longer guarantees a brand-new word each day. In February, The New York Times began bringing back past solutions, starting with CIGAR, the first answer in the game's history. Players can no longer rule out words just because they appeared before.

About the game

Software engineer Josh Wardle created Wordle as a gift for his partner, and it went viral in late 2021. The New York Times bought it in early 2022, and it has since become one of the company's most popular games, alongside the Mini Crossword, Connections and Strands.

Wordle is free on the New York Times Games website and app. A new puzzle comes out Thursday at midnight local time.