Today’s Wordle #1520 Hints And Answer For Sunday, August 17th

How to solve today’s Wordle.

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Lazy Sunday is here and that means one thing and one thing only: As soon as I’m done with all these puzzles, I’m off to do chores! Chores and yard work and a trip to the gym to try to get back in pre-COVID shape. It’s not easy! The older you get, the harder physical fitness becomes. But I’m doing the work. I’m making the gains. Now I just need to drop a few pounds (well, more than a few).

If you’re looking to end your fun in the sun with some good TV shows or movies, be sure to check out my weekend streaming guide with all the best current streaming options and theatrical releases. Let me know what you’re watching, too! I’m always looking for recommendations.

Alright, it’s Wordle time!

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

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: TRACE (342 words remaining).

The Hint: Inferior results (or feelings).

The Clue: This Wordle begins with the same letter as yesterday’s Wordle.

Okay, spoilers below! The answer is coming!

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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.

TRACE was a lousy opening guess, leaving me with 342 words and zero yellow or green boxes. LIONS, on the other hand, was far from lousy. I had 1 green box, two yellow boxes and just one word remaining: LOUSY for the win! Huzzah!

Competitive Wordle Score

Huzzahs turn to ash in my mouth the moment I see the Bot’s score, and now I’m feeling lousy alright. Somehow the lucky, evil, nefarious Wordle Bot guessed in just two today! Talk about luck (or cheating, I’m just sayin’). I get 1 point for guessing in three and -1 for losing to the Bot. 0 for me. The Bot gets 2 points for guessing in two and 1 for beating me. 3 points! The gap wides significantly as we push into the second half of August:

Erik: 6 points

Wordle Bot: 14 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 lousy comes from Middle English lousi, meaning “infested with lice.” It derives from lous (plural of louse), with the adjectival suffix -y. Originally, it was used literally to describe someone or something crawling with lice. By the 14th century, it had also developed figurative senses like “contemptible” or “worthless,” leading to the modern slang meaning “bad, unpleasant, or inferior.”

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