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ForbesToday’s ‘Wordle’ #1126 Hints, Clues And Answer For Friday, July 19thBy Erik Kain

Holy smokes, it’s already the 20th of July! I’m already one month past my birthday. Time sure does fly when you’re solving word puzzles every day. Or something like that.

I think keeping busy makes time pass more quickly also, as does routine. Routine is generally very good for us, but it can make the days blur together. Mixing up your routine through travel or going out and doing new things can have the illusory effect of slowing time. Interrupting the daily grind is crucial.

That’s a paradox, of course. If you want to live a healthy, sustainable life you need to find a routine that works. But you have to be diligent in breaking that routine to find real satisfaction.

Speaking of routine and satisfaction, let’s solve this Wordle!

How To Solve Today’s Wordle

The Hint: What does a coal mine and a beam of light have in common?

The Clue: This Wordle has far more consonants than vowels.

Okay, spoilers below!

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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.

Okay, maybe that hint was too hard. But a coal mine has shafts and you can call it a “shaft of light” or a “beam of light”. You can also get the shaft from someone when they screw you over. There are plenty of other meanings and uses for today’s Wordle.

My guessing game was pretty on-point today (aka pretty lucky) with LATER leaving me with two yellow boxes and just 48 remaining words. STAIN slashed that number down to just 2 and I went with the word that seemed most likely: SHAFT rather than SWATH, though both are terrific, evocative words.

Competitive Wordle Score

I get 1 point for guessing in three and 0 for tying the Bot. I’ll take it!

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 “shaft” has its origins in Old English, where it was spelled “sceaft.” The Old English term itself came from Proto-Germanic *skaftaz, which referred to a long, slender object. This Proto-Germanic term is related to the Proto-Indo-European root *skehb-, meaning “to cut” or “to split,” which reflects the idea of a piece of wood or other material being shaped into a long, narrow form.

Over time, the meaning of “shaft” has evolved but generally maintained its core sense of something long and narrow, such as the handle of a tool or weapon, an arrow, or even a vertical passage like a mine shaft or elevator shaft.

Be sure to check out my blog for my daily Wordle and Strands guides as well as all my other writing about TV shows, streaming guides, movie reviews, video game coverage and much more. Thanks for stopping by!

Oh, and I’ve started a book-themed Instagram page that’s just getting off the ground if anyone wants to follow me there.