Wordle #1,638: A Puzzle That Won’t Spend a Dime
Welcome back, word wizards and letter logicians! Wordle #1,638 has arrived, and while it might not make your wallet any lighter, it could certainly lighten your streak if you’re not careful. Today’s puzzle is a classic example of a word that’s common in conversation but can be surprisingly elusive when you’re staring at those six empty rows. The WordleBot reports that the average player will crack this one in about 3.6 moves, but as we all know, averages can be deceiving when you’re down to your last guess.
Ready to dive in? Below, you’ll find our signature progressive hints, a full breakdown of the puzzle’s difficulty, and a step-by-step solving guide. But be warned: spoilers for Wordle #1,638 lie ahead! If you want to solve it completely on your own, now’s the time to close this tab and fire up the New York Times Games site.
Your Progressive Clues for Wordle #1,638
Stuck somewhere between your second and third guess? Don’t panic. Use these hints to nudge you in the right direction, starting gentle and getting more specific.
Level 1: Gentle Nudges
Word Type: It’s primarily a noun, though it can be used in a descriptive way.
Number of Vowels: This word contains two vowels.
General Theme: Think about personality traits, specifically one related to wealth and generosity (or rather, the lack thereof).
Level 2: Intermediate Insights
Starting Letter: The word begins with the letter M.
Vowel Positions: One vowel is in the second position. The other is the fourth letter.
Context Clue: You might know a famous fictional character from Dickens with this trait.
Level 3: Advanced Assistance
Letter Structure: The pattern is M _ S _ R.
Related Synonyms: Tightwad, scrooge, skinflint, penny-pincher.
Common Usage: Often used to describe someone who is extremely reluctant to spend money, even to their own detriment.
Difficulty Analysis: Why Today’s Wordle Tricks You
On the surface, today’s answer seems straightforward. But let’s break down its tricky DNA with our difficulty table.
| Factor | Level | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Common Letters | 8/10 | It uses four of the top ten most common letters (E, R, S, I), which is deceptively helpful. |
| Patterns | 6/10 | The “_ I S _ R” and “_ I _ E R” endings are very common, creating many possible guesses. |
| Vowels | 7/10 | Two vowels in clear positions is a gift, but the “I” and “E” combo is highly productive, leading to multiple options. |
| Red Herrings | 9/10 | This is the big one. Words like RISER, WISER, LISER, VISER, and GISER all fit common patterns and can derail you completely. |
Step-by-Step Solving Guide
Here’s how a strategic solve might have unfolded, mirroring the WordleBot’s optimal path.
First Word (ORATE): A solid opener. It gives us a yellow ‘R’ and a yellow ‘E’. This immediately tells us the word contains these common letters, but they’re not in their starting positions. We have 144 possible answers left—time to narrow it down.
Second Word (LINER): Strategic follow-up. This tests the ‘I’ and ‘N’ from our common-letter hit list and repositions the ‘R’ and ‘E’. Bingo! We get green ‘I’, ‘E’, and ‘R’. The puzzle is now “_ I _ E R”. Our options have plummeted to just 23.
The Elimination Process: With the pattern locked, we need the first and third letters. The third position is key. Common fits include S, D, V, P, and K (as in RISER, RIDER, RIVER, RIPER, RIKER).
The “Aha!” Moment: Remembering the theme from our hints, we think of words for a stingy person. That leads us to test an ‘S’ in the third slot and an ‘M’ at the front. Typing in MISER reveals all greens for a satisfying solve in four moves.
Specific Strategies for This Puzzle
If you got stuck today, here’s what might have tripped you up and how to avoid it next time.
If You Got Stuck on “_ I _ E R”: This is the trap. Your brain likely jumped to RISER or WISER. The trick was to ignore the obvious adjective and consider nouns. When you see that pattern, force yourself to brainstorm person, place, or thing nouns, not just descriptive words.
Avoiding the “R” Trap: Because ‘R’ was green in the last spot from early on, it was easy to fixate on it as the ending and forget it could also be part of the root word. Remember that a green letter doesn’t define the word’s meaning—it just fixes its location.
Today’s Unique Letter Pattern: The “M_S” opening is less common than “R_S” or “W_S”. When your common guesses fail, it’s a signal to explore less frequent starting consonants like M, P, or G.
Interesting Word Stats
How does today’s answer stack up in the grand scheme of the English language?
- Frequency: “Miser” is ranked around the 15,000th most common word in contemporary English—not everyday, but far from obscure.
- Wordle History: Compared to recent puzzles, this is of moderate difficulty. It’s harder than concrete nouns like “TRUCK” but easier than obscure verbs or plural forms.
- Success Rate: We estimate a 92% solve rate today. The 8% who fail will likely be those who exhausted their tries on the RISER/WISER/DIVER family of words.
For the Truly Curious
The word miser comes directly from Latin, where it meant “wretched, unfortunate, or unhappy.” Its evolution into meaning “stingy person” is fascinating—it seems the misery of poverty became associated with the misery of being unwilling to part with money. A famous cultural miser is, of course, Ebenezer Scrooge from Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol. In other languages, the concept is often tied to “avaro” (Spanish/Italian) or “avare” (French), stemming from the Latin for “greedy.”
Yesterday’s Answer (Wordle #1,637)
In case you’re catching up, yesterday’s answer was TRUCK. A much more straightforward, concrete noun that many players solved in three tries. Compared to today’s “MISER,” “TRUCK” had fewer plausible alternatives once you found the “TR” start, making it a less deceptive puzzle overall.
General Wordle Strategy Tips
Learning from today’s puzzle can sharpen your game for tomorrow.
- Vary Your Part of Speech: If your first two guesses reveal a common pattern (like “_ I _ E R”), don’t just cycle through adjectives. Deliberately guess a noun, then a verb, to cover the lexical field.
- Beware the Common-Ending Swarm: Endings like “_ER”, “_ING”, and “_ATE” have dozens of common fits. When you identify one, prioritize finding the *first* letter, as it’s the most limiting factor.
- Use Your Yellow Letters Aggressively: A yellow ‘R’ and ‘E’ from ORATE? Don’t just move them one spot. A word like LINER or SLIME tests them in multiple new positions at once, providing maximum information.
- Best Starters Based on Today: Today’s puzzle showed the power of starters with A, E, I, O, R, and S. Words like SLATE, CRANE, or TRACE would have efficiently revealed the common letters that structured this answer.
There you have it! Another Wordle conquered. Whether you sailed through in three or sweated it out to guess six, we hope this guide helped. Remember, every puzzle is a new lesson in the wonderful weirdness of the English language. See you tomorrow for Wordle #1,639!
