Wordle
Wordle

NEW YORK — The New York Times released a new Wordle puzzle at midnight local time Thursday, and this one features a familiar but less commonly used word that may take players a few extra guesses.

Puzzle No. 1944 is available now. Below are hints for players who want to solve it on their own, followed by the answer for those who need it. Readers who want to avoid spoilers should stop before the answer section.

How Wordle works

Wordle challenges players to guess a five-letter word in six tries or fewer. After each guess, the tiles change color. A green tile means the letter is correct and in the right position. A yellow tile means the letter is in the word but in a different spot. A gray tile means the letter is not in the answer.

The puzzle resets at midnight in each player's local time zone, so everyone in the same time zone gets the same word.

How hard is today's puzzle?

Thursday's puzzle may offer a moderate challenge. According to the New York Times' Wordle review, players are taking an average of 4.3 guesses to solve it, more than Wednesday's puzzle.

Hints for Wordle No. 1944

These clues are listed from least to most revealing.

Hint 1: The word is a noun used in everyday talk about people's intelligence.

Hint 2: It is often used as an insult for someone who makes foolish mistakes.

Hint 3: Historically, it was associated with a pointed hat once worn as a punishment in classrooms.

Hint 4: The word contains two vowels, and no letter appears twice.

Hint 5: The answer starts with D and ends with a vowel.

Strategy tips

The choice of starting word can make a big difference today. A guess such as CRANE narrows the possibilities dramatically, leaving only about a dozen possible words, while a popular opener such as SLATE leaves more than 100 options.

Vowel-heavy openers like ADIEU can also be effective, revealing key letters early.

Players who identify the letters N and C in the middle of the word may find the answer quickly, since relatively few common five-letter words follow that pattern.

Because today's word ends in E, players who find a yellow or green E should consider placing it in the final position, a common pattern in English words.

SPOILER WARNING: The answer is below.

Today's Wordle answer

The answer to Wordle No. 1944 on Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026, is DUNCE.

The word is a noun describing a person who is slow to learn or considered unintelligent. It is often associated with the "dunce cap," a pointed hat that students were once made to wear in classrooms as punishment.

The word has an unusual origin. It comes from the name of John Duns Scotus, a respected Scottish philosopher and theologian of the late 13th and early 14th centuries. His followers were known as "Dunsmen." During the Renaissance, critics of his philosophy mocked his followers as stubborn and backward-thinking, and by the 16th century, "dunce" had come to mean a slow-witted person.

Yesterday's answer

For players catching up, the answer to Wordle No. 1943 on Wednesday, Oct. 14, was PSYCH, an unusual answer with no standard vowels.

Recent Wordle answers

  • Oct. 14 (No. 1943): PSYCH
  • Oct. 13 (No. 1942): WIDER
  • Oct. 12 (No. 1941): YODEL
  • Oct. 11 (No. 1940): UNCAP
  • Oct. 10 (No. 1939): BUMPY
  • Oct. 9 (No. 1938): MAJOR
  • Oct. 8 (No. 1937): STREW
  • Oct. 7 (No. 1936): PROVE
  • Oct. 6 (No. 1935): DIMLY
  • Oct. 5 (No. 1934): MOCHA

Repeat answers possible

Players should remember that The New York Times began reintroducing older words into Wordle's rotation on Feb. 2, 2026, starting with CIGAR, the game's first-ever answer. That means past solutions can appear again, and players should not rule out a word simply because it was used before.

About Wordle

Wordle was created by software engineer Josh Wardle and acquired by The New York Times in early 2022. Its once-a-day format and shareable grids of colored squares turned it into one of the most popular word games in the world.

The Times has built a lineup of daily puzzles around it, including Connections, Strands and the Mini Crossword.

Tips for future puzzles

Experienced players recommend sticking with a consistent starting word to learn which follow-up guesses work best. Paying close attention to yellow tiles can help eliminate positions for letters, and using a guess to test several new letters can be more effective than guessing a single likely answer when several options remain.

A new Wordle puzzle will be available at midnight local time.