Wordle #1,670: A Tricky Three-Vowel Challenge
Wordle #1,670 has arrived, and it’s presenting players with a classic head-scratcher. While it generously offers three vowels, their placement and the surrounding consonants create a puzzle that’s deceptively tricky. According to the New York Times’ own WordleBot, the average player is taking about 4.1 moves to crack this one in easy mode. If you’re playing by hard rules, that average dips slightly to 4.0, suggesting a bit of strategic finesse is required. Feeling stuck? Don’t worry, we’ve got your back with hints, strategy, and a full breakdown.
Warning: Spoilers lie ahead for Wordle #1,670. If you want to solve it on your own, now is the time to turn back. Otherwise, read on for clues and the full answer analysis.
Need a Nudge? Progressive Hints for Wordle #1,670
Stuck somewhere between your second and fourth guess? These hints are designed to help you without giving it all away. Start with Level 1 and work your way down only as much as you need.
Level 1: Gentle Nudges
Today’s Wordle answer can function as both a verb and a noun. It contains three vowels. The general theme revolves around a precautionary action or a thing you might steer clear of.
Level 2: Intermediate Clues
The word begins with the letter A. One of the vowels is an ‘O’ and it is not the second letter. Think of words associated with prevention, evasion, or keeping your distance.
Level 3: Advanced Assistance
The letter structure is: A _ O I _. Synonyms include evade, shun, dodge, or circumvent. It’s a word commonly used in contexts like driving (“avoid the pothole”), advice (“avoid sugary drinks”), or social situations (“I’m avoiding my neighbor”).
Today’s Difficulty Breakdown
| Factor | Level | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Common Letters | 6/10 | It uses several common letters (A, O, I, D), but the combination is less frequent. |
| Patterns | 4/10 | The A_OI_ pattern isn’t one of the most common templates, making it harder to intuit. |
| Vowels | 8/10 | Three vowels are a big help, but their spread can lead to many possibilities. |
| Traps | 7/10 | Words like “ADOBO,” “AUDIO,” and “AMIGO” can easily sidetrack players. |
How to Solve It: A Step-by-Step Walkthrough
Let’s break down a logical solving path, similar to what the WordleBot might analyze. A strong starter is key.
First Guess (ORATE): Starting with a proven winner like ORATE is smart. It reveals the ‘O’ and ‘A’ as present but misplaced (yellow). This is a decent start, but it leaves a whopping 73 possible solutions in play.
Second Guess (Strategic Follow-up): The goal now is to test common consonants and nail down vowel positions. A word like SALON is excellent here. It tests ‘S’, ‘L’, ‘N’, and repositions the ‘A’ and ‘O’. The result? It dramatically narrows the field to just about ten viable options.
The Elimination Process: With ‘A’ and ‘O’ yellow and likely not in positions 2 or 3, you can start mentally testing patterns. Words like “ADOBO,” “AUDIO,” and “AVOID” emerge as top candidates.
The “Aha!” Moment: Guessing AUDIO next would be a masterstroke. It turns the ‘A’ and ‘I’ green and confirms ‘D’ and ‘O’ are in the word but misplaced. At this point, only one common word fits the green A, the green I in the fourth spot, the yellow D and O, and the empty second position: AVOID.
Recommended Attempts: Solving this in 4 tries is a great score. Many will land on 5, especially if they get lured by other similar words first.
Specific Strategies for This Puzzle
If you got stuck today, here’s what might have happened and how to push through next time.
If you were trapped by the “AUDIO” guess: AUDIO is a fantastic test word that often appears as a possible answer itself. If you played it and got four yellows and one gray, the key was realizing the ‘D’ and ‘O’ needed to shift right. The only logical rearrangement that creates a common word is moving the ‘D’ to the end and the ‘O’ to the third spot.
Avoiding the “-O” ending trap: Many plausible words today ended with “-O” (ADOBO, AMIGO). If you fixated on this, you hit a dead end. When you have an ‘A’ at the start and an ‘O’ somewhere, actively test words where the ‘O’ is *not* at the end to break the pattern.
Today’s unique letter pattern: The sequence “OI” in the middle of a word is less common than you think. Recognizing that “A _ O I _” is a narrow pattern could have helped you eliminate outliers faster.
By The Numbers: Fun Wordle Stats
How does today’s word stack up in the grand scheme of things?
- Frequency in English: “Avoid” is a very common word, ranking within the top 2,000 most frequently used words in contemporary English.
- Wordle History: Compared to recent puzzles, #1,670 is of moderate difficulty. It’s harder than common-noun days but easier than those brutal words with repeated letters or obscure vocabulary.
- Success Rate Estimate: We estimate a 85-90% solve rate for today’s puzzle. The three vowels provide a high floor, but the specific arrangement will trip up a significant number of streaks.
For the Curious: More About “Avoid”
Today’s answer is more interesting than it seems! Etymologically, “avoid” comes from the Anglo-French “avoider,” meaning to clear out, vacate, or leave. It originally had a stronger sense of making something void or empty.
A less common use is in law: to “avoid a contract” means to annul or cancel it. Culturally, it’s the cornerstone of countless proverbs and advice columns, from “avoid gossip” to the classic parental warning, “avoid strangers.” In other languages, the concept often uses words related to “flee” or “escape,” like “éviter” in French or “evitar” in Spanish and Portuguese.
Yesterday’s Answer (Wordle #1,669)
If you’re just catching up, yesterday’s answer was GUMBO. That was a tough one, featuring only one of the ten most common Wordle letters and trapping many players with similar words like JUMBO and BLOOM. Compared to today’s puzzle, GUMBO was statistically harder due to its lack of common letters, while today’s AVOID is tricky due to pattern recognition.
General Wordle Strategy Tips
Whether you sailed through or struggled today, these tips will strengthen your game for tomorrow.
- Vary Your Vowel Hunt: After a starter like ORATE, don’t just reuse A and E. Your second word should prioritize testing other vowels (I, O, U) and high-frequency consonants (L, S, N, C, R).
- Beware the “Wordle Echo”: When you have several yellows, it’s easy to just rearrange them. Force yourself to use a new, strategic word that places those yellow letters in new positions and tests new letters. This was key today between guesses 2 and 3.
- Use Process of Elimination Actively: When you have a pattern like A_OI_, mentally run through the alphabet for the second and fifth spots. This systematic approach beats random guessing every time.
- Best Starters Based on Today: Today’s puzzle showed the power of starters that mix common vowels and consonants. Words like SLATE, CRANE, or ADIEU (for vowel-heavy days) consistently narrow the field faster than emotional picks.
