If today’s Wordle puzzle has you stumped, you’re definitely not alone: Josh Wardle, creator of the popular brainteaser, told Newsweek he needs “at least four or five attempts” to guess the correct answer.
The New York-based software engineer worked on completing development of the daily brainteaser as a way to entertain his partner during COVID-19 lockdowns.
After enjoying the game, Wardle decided to host the game on a public website. Following its debut in October 2021, Wordle exploded from 90 users on November 1 of that year to 300,000 on January 2, 2022, according to figures by Statista.
Such was the popularity of the game that The New York Times purchased it in January 2022 for an undisclosed low seven-figure fee.
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Erhan Aslan, an expert in applied linguistics who teaches at the University of Reading in the U.K., previously provided some useful advice for Wordle players in an interview with Newsweek.
“One thing that I think is important in this game is the starting word chosen,” Aslan said. “Starting off with words that include commonly used vowels, for example, e and a, consonants such as r and t, and sound sequences might be helpful.”
“Choosing a word that starts with q, z, j, or x, for instance, may not be the best choice. As you get more feedback after a few guesses, users need to draw on some knowledge of phonics to narrow down or eliminate some words that they might be thinking,” Aslan added.
Newsweek has supplied some helpful clues below for today’s Wordle puzzle. The answer to today’s puzzle will be revealed at the end of this article, so please scroll down with caution if you want to work it out for yourself.
‘Wordle’ #912, Clues for Monday, December 18
Newsweek has put together five hints to help you figure out today’s Wordle puzzle.
Hint #1: Today’s answer contains one vowel.
Hint #2: The first letter is a consonant.
Hint #3: There is one repeated letter.
Hint #4: Today’s answer is used as an adjective and noun.
Hint #5: The correct answer will likely make you laugh.
‘Wordle’ #912 Answer for Monday, December 18
Today’s Wordle answer is “Funny.”
Merriam-Webster defines “funny” in adjective form as “affording light mirth and laughter,” “seeking or intended to amuse,” “differing from the ordinary in a suspicious, perplexing, quaint, or eccentric way,” and “involving trickery or deception.”
In noun form, it is used to identify “one that is funny.”
Wordle updates every day at midnight, at which point the next puzzle becomes available. Players who would like something to keep themselves busy while they wait can have a go at similar word-based puzzles such as Typochondria and Spellspire.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.