I like today’s Wordle answer very much because it starts me humming the Weird Al song that contains that word. (Spoilers ahead.) Plus, it’s just a fun word, and none of the letters are too unusual. Read on for more hints and the answer.

Here’s the Connections answer for today, and here’s the answer for Strands. And do you solve the NYT Mini Crossword? Here’s today’s answer for that.

Also, we’ve ranked all the letters in the alphabet by popularity if you want to use this list to decide on your best start words.

Today’s Wordle hints

Before we show you today’s Wordle answer, we’ll give you some hints. If you don’t want a spoiler, look away now.

Wordle hint No. 1: Repeats

Today’s Wordle answer has no repeated letters

Wordle hint No. 2: Vowels

There is one vowel in today’s Wordle answer and one “sometimes” vowel.

Wordle hint No. 3: Start letter

Today’s Wordle answer starts with the letter N.

Wordle hint No. 4: Sing out

Today’s Wordle answer is part of a Weird Al Yankovic song title.

Wordle hint No. 5: Meaning

Today’s Wordle answer might describe Bill Gates or anyone else who’s really into a particular subject. It’s also part of a Weird Al Yankovic song title.

TODAY’S WORDLE ANSWER

Today’s Wordle answer is NERDY, as in Weird Al’s White & Nerdy parody of the 2005 song Ridin’ by Chamillionaire and Krayzie Bone.

Yesterday’s Wordle answer

Yesterday’s Wordle answer, July 17, No. 1124, was QUITE.

Past Wordle answers

July 13, No. 1120: ENACT

July 14, No. 1121: VIDEO

July 15, No. 1122: SWOON

July 16, No. 1123: DECOY

Everyday Wordle tips

I’ve written a lot about Wordle — from covering its 1,000th word to my list of the best starter words to a helpful two-step strategy to news about controversial word changes. I’ve even rounded up what I learned playing the hit online word puzzle for a full year. So if you’re rethinking your need for the actual answer, you might try tips from one of those stories.

Still need a starter word? One person told me they just look around and choose a five-letter object that they’ve spotted to use as their starter word — such as COUCH or CHAIR. I tend to stick to starter words that have the most popular letters used in English words. I like TRAIN as a starter, though I have a friend who uses TRAIL. I’ve read that people use the financial term ROATE, but I like to use words I actually know.

What is Wordle?

If you read this far, you know how to play. You have six chances to guess a five-letter word, and the game gives you feedback as to whether the letters you’ve guessed are in the puzzle or not, and if they’re in the same spot where you guessed they are. The New York Times bought the game from creator Josh Wardle for seven figures in 2022. Wardle famously created the game for his partner, and let her narrow down the 12,000 five-letter words in the English language to just 2,500, creating the database of answers. It was convenient, too, that he has a name that plays off “word.”

A Times spokesperson told me it lists the very first Wordle as appearing on June 19, 2021, and the paper celebrated the game’s 1,000th word on March 15. Spoiler: That 1,000th word was ERUPT. As in, “Dad will erupt if the Wordle is so tough he loses his streak.”