More than 2 million players start their day with five blank squares and a single goal: guess the five-letter word in six tries. Wordle, now owned by The New York Times, has become a daily habit that’s as much about community as it is about vocabulary. This guide walks you through today’s puzzle, the hints you need, and what else the NYT puzzle universe has to offer.

4 related posts

Game name: Wordle · Creator: Josh Wardle · Number of letters: 5 · Maximum guesses: 6 · Daily reset: Midnight local time · Publisher: The New York Times

Quick snapshot

1Confirmed facts
2What’s unclear
  • Whether NYT will introduce a subscription for Wordle (no official statement)
  • If AI is used to generate future puzzles (NYT has not disclosed)
  • Exact daily active user count (NYT does not publish regularly)
3Timeline signal
  • October 2021: Wordle launched by Josh Wardle
  • January 2022: Acquired by The New York Times
  • 2023: NYT launches Connections and Strands
4What’s next

Six key facts about Wordle, one pattern: the game’s rules are simple, but its reach is broad.

Label Value
Game Wordle
Creator Josh Wardle
Publisher The New York Times
Number of letters 5
Maximum guesses 6
Daily release Midnight local time

The implication: a consistent structure makes Wordle predictable, but the answer changes every day.

What is today’s Wordle answer and hint?

Finding today’s answer

Wordle puzzle #1845, released July 8, 2026, has the answer CIVIL. This five-letter word contains no repeating letters, making it slightly easier to crack with the right starting word. Two independent gaming outlets, TechRadar (gaming news) and Tom’s Guide (tech & gaming), both confirmed the solution. The previous day’s puzzle (#1844) was SLING, according to Word Finder (word game resource).

Using hints

The New York Times provides optional hints that can be up to 50 characters, including letters, spaces, and emojis (NYT Help Center (official support)). The color system is consistent: green means correct letter in the right spot, yellow means correct letter in the wrong spot, and gray means the letter isn’t in the word at all (The New York Times (publisher)).

The upshot

Starting with a vowel-rich word like “CRANE” or “SLATE” gives you the best shot at eliminating letters quickly. For today’s puzzle, knowing there are two I’s helps narrow the field.

The catch: knowing today’s answer is just the beginning; strategy improves your odds for every future puzzle.

What is Connections NYT and how to play?

Connections rules

Connections, launched by the New York Times in 2023, asks players to group 16 words into four categories based on common themes. Each category is color-coded by difficulty, and players have four mistakes before the game ends (The New York Times (official game page)). The puzzle resets daily at midnight local time, just like Wordle.

Strands

Strands is a word search game with a twist: a hidden theme ties the words together. Players drag across letters to find themed words, and the puzzle includes a “hint” button that reveals one word at a time. Like Connections, it’s part of the NYT Games app (The New York Times (official game page)).

The trade-off: Connections rewards lateral thinking, while Strands tests pattern recognition. Both are free to play, but the NYT Games app also offers a subscription for unlimited access to the puzzle archive (NYT Help Center (official support)).

What is the Wordle archive and how to access past puzzles?

Unlocking the archive

The New York Times maintains an archive of over 1,000 past Wordle puzzles. Players can access it through the NYT Wordle archive page (official archive), but full play history and progress are only saved if you have a New York Times account (NYT Help Center (official support)).

Playing older puzzles

Once you sign in, you can play any puzzle from the archive in order. The archive is updated daily, so you can catch up on missed puzzles or revisit favorites. This feature is also available on the NYT Games mobile app (The New York Times (official game page)).

The catch: without an account, you can only play the current day’s puzzle. If you want to explore the history of Wordle, an NYT subscription is the key.

Timeline

  • – Wordle launched by Josh Wardle
  • – Acquired by The New York Times
  • – Wordle added to NYT Games website
  • – NYT launches Connections and Strands
  • – Daily Wordle puzzles continue with community sharing

Clarity section

Confirmed facts

  • Wordle is free to play (The New York Times (official game page))
  • NYT operates Wordle daily
  • Wordle has 5 letters and 6 guesses (The New York Times (publisher))
  • Today’s answer is CIVIL (Tom’s Guide (tech & gaming))

What’s unclear

  • Whether NYT will introduce a subscription for Wordle
  • If AI generates future puzzles
  • Exact number of daily active users (NYT does not publish regularly)

“I wanted a simple word game for me and my partner.”

Josh Wardle, creator of Wordle (in a 2022 interview with The New York Times)

Wordle’s acquisition aligned with NYT’s strategy to expand digital games.

Jonathan Knight, NYT Games general manager (as reported by The New York Times (business section))

The ritual of a daily five-letter word has grown into a full puzzle ecosystem. For the casual player, the free daily puzzle is enough. For the dedicated fan, the archive and companion games like Connections and Strands offer endless variety. The choice is clear: play today, or dive deeper into the NYT puzzle universe.

Related reading: Five Letter Word Finder · Five Letter Word Finder

Additional sources

word.tips, cnet.com, parade.com, play.google.com, word.tips, wordle.linkaiwu.com

If you missed the July 7 puzzle, you can still check yesterday’s Wordle hints for additional context on similar word challenges.

Don't miss these

Frequently asked questions

How to change the difficulty of Wordle?

Wordle does not have a difficulty setting. The puzzle is the same for all players each day. However, you can increase the challenge by using harder starting words or playing in “hard mode” (available on the NYT site) where any revealed hints must be used in subsequent guesses.

Can I play Wordle offline?

No, Wordle requires an internet connection. The game is hosted on the New York Times website and does not have an offline mode. You can play on mobile browsers or the NYT Games app, but you need data or Wi-Fi.

Why is Wordle in grayscale?

Some users see a grayscale version due to browser settings or accessibility features. The NYT site uses color to indicate correct/incorrect letters, but if you have a high-contrast mode or color blindness setting, the colors may appear as shades of gray. You can check your browser’s accessibility settings.

How many people play Wordle daily?

NYT no longer publishes daily active user numbers. In early 2022, Wordle had over 2 million daily players, but the exact current figure is not public. The game remains one of the most popular word games online.

Does Wordle have an app?

Wordle is not a standalone app. It is included in the NYT Games app, which you can download for iOS and Android. The app also includes Connections, Strands, and other puzzles. A subscription is required for unlimited access to the archive.

How to check previous Wordle answers?

You can check past answers on the official NYT Wordle archive page. You need a New York Times account to access the full history. Third-party sites like Word Finder also maintain archives of daily solutions.

What is the best starting word for Wordle?

Commonly recommended starting words include “CRANE”, “SLATE”, “AUDIO”, and “STARE”. These words cover common vowels and consonants. The NYT does not endorse any specific starting word, but many players find vowel-rich words give the best early information.

How to share Wordle results on social media?

After solving the puzzle, you can share your results by clicking the “Share” button. This copies a grid of colored squares to your clipboard, which you can paste into social media platforms. The share text includes the puzzle number and your guess count.