Today’s Wordle #1517 Hints And Answer For Thursday, August 14th

How to solve today’s Wordle.

SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

It’s Thursday which means one thing and one thing only. Today, I give you the answer to yesterday’s Wordle Wednesday riddle! Every Wednesday I give you puzzle solvers an extra challenge. Many of you message me with the answer, but I also post it on Thursdays just in case.

Looking for yesterday’s Wordle? Get some hints, clues and the answer right here.

This was yesterday’s riddle:

Four men sat down to play, they played all night till break of day,

They played for gold and not for fun, with separate scores for everyone,

When time came to square accounts, they each had made quite fair amounts

So answer me this paradox, how each man gained when no man lost?

The deception here is the notion that these four men are playing against one another, cards or dice or some type of game. The reality is, these four men were playing together: They’re musicians!

Okay, onto the Wordle.

How To Play Wordle

Wordle is a daily word puzzle game where your goal is to guess a hidden five-letter word in six tries or fewer. After each guess, the game gives feedback to help you get closer to the answer:

• Green: The letter is in the word and in the correct spot.
• Yellow: The letter is in the word, but in the wrong spot.
• Gray: The letter is not in the word at all.

Use these clues to narrow down your guesses. Every day brings a new word, and everyone around the world is trying to solve the same puzzle. Some Wordlers also play Competitive Wordle against friends, family, the Wordle Bot or even against me, your humble narrator. See rules for Competitive Wordle toward the end of this post.

Today’s Wordle Hints And Answer

Wordle Bot’s Starting Word: SLATE

My Starting Word Today: PLANE (18 words remaining)

The Hint: Toll the bell.

The Clue: This Wordle has a double letter.

Okay, spoilers below! The answer is coming!

.

.

.

The Answer:

Wordle Analysis

Every day I check Wordle Bot to help analyze my guessing game. You can check your Wordles with Wordle Bot right here.

PLANE (because I was about to board one when I made this guess) ended up being quite lucky. With just 18 words left and three yellow boxes, I had a lot to work with. LIKEN cut that number down to just two: KNELT and KNELL. I was pretty sure KNELT had already been a Wordle, because I remember at the time thinking it was a weird word for a Wordle, being a past participle. So I went with KNELL, a very obscure and antiquated word, which means essentially “the sound of a bell”. Lucky for me, that was the Wordle!

Competitive Wordle Score

After a string of losses, I finally beat the Bot! I get 1 point for guessing in three and 1 for beating the Bot, while the Bot loses 1 for losing to me and gets 0 for guessing in four. Our August totals are now:

Erik: 3 points

Wordle Bot: 8 points

How To Play Competitive Wordle

• Guessing in 1 is worth 3 points; guessing in 2 is worth 2 points; guessing in 3 is worth 1 point; guessing in 4 is worth 0 points; guessing in 5 is -1 points; guessing in 6 is -2 points and missing the Wordle is -3 points.
• If you beat your opponent you get 1 point. If you tie, you get 0 points. And if you lose to your opponent, you get -1 point. Add it up to get your score. Keep a daily running score or just play for a new score each day.
• Fridays are 2XP, meaning you double your points—positive or negative.
• You can keep a running tally or just play day-by-day. Enjoy!

Today’s Wordle Etymology

The word knell comes from Middle English knellen, from Old English cnellian meaning “to ring (a bell), especially for a death or disaster.” This traces back to the noun cnyll, “a sound or stroke of a bell,” which is of Germanic origin and related to Old High German chnellen (“to resound, ring”).

Be sure to follow me for all your daily puzzle-solving guides, TV show and movie reviews and more here on this blog!