Wordle #1,674: The Spicy Challenge That Tested Our Patience
Welcome back, word wizards. Today’s Wordle, puzzle #1,674, served up a dish that was anything but bland. If you found yourself staring at the grid, cycling through the alphabet in your head, you’re not alone. This was one of those deceptively simple-looking words that hides in plain sight, far from the common vocabulary of daily chit-chat. The WordleBot confirmed our collective struggle, noting that the average player needed about 4.0 moves to crack it. Ready to dive into the breakdown? Just remember: spoilers for today’s answer, SUMAC, lie ahead. If you’re still solving, tread carefully from here!
Need a Nudge? Here Are Your Progressive Clues
Stuck but not ready to throw in the towel? We’ve got your back with a tiered hint system. Start with Level 1 and work your way down only as far as you need.
Level 1: Gentle Nudges
Today’s answer is a noun. It contains two vowels. In terms of category, think about something you might find in a kitchen pantry or a forest.
Level 2: Intermediate Insights
The word begins with the letter S. One of the vowels is a U, and it is not the second letter. This word is often associated with a tangy, reddish-purple spice.
Level 3: Advanced Assistance
The structure of the word is S _ M A C. Think of synonyms like seasoning or berry. It’s commonly used in Middle Eastern cuisine and as a foraging ingredient.
Breaking Down Today’s Difficulty
Why was Wordle #1,674 such a head-scratcher? Let’s quantify the pain with a quick visual analysis.
| Factor | Level | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Common Letters | 3/10 | Only S, M, and A rank in the top 10 most common letters. C and U are less frequent. |
| Patterns | 2/10 | The “S_M” and “MAC” endings aren’t highly common combos in five-letter words. |
| Vowels | 6/10 | Two vowels (U and A) are present, but the U in the second position is atypical and tricky. |
| Traps | 9/10 | Extremely high! Words like “SQUAD,” “SQUAB,” “SCUBA,” and “SCHWA” create a minefield of similar letter patterns. |
A Step-by-Step Solving Journey
Let’s walk through a strategic approach that mirrors a successful, bot-approved solve.
First Move (ORATE): A classic opener like ORATE is a great start. Today, it might only give you a yellow ‘O’ and an ‘A’, which feels sparse but tells you a crucial vowel is present. The WordleBot noted this leaves a daunting 163 possible answers.
Second Move (Strategic Pivot): Time to test common consonants. A word like NAILS is perfect here. It checks N, L, I, and S. This move can turn the ‘S’ yellow and, importantly, rule out ‘A’ as the second letter, dramatically narrowing the field.
The Elimination Process: After two guesses, you might be down to a handful of options, including SCUBA, SQUAD, SQUAB, and our answer, SUMAC. The puzzle becomes a logical deduction game.
The “Aha!” Moment: If you guess SQUAD next and get green S and A with a yellow U, the puzzle clicks. The only word fitting S, U, A, and the eliminated letters is SUMAC. The unique ‘M’ and final ‘C’ slot into place.
Recommended Attempts: Given the tricky traps, a solve in 4-5 attempts is a fantastic result. Don’t sweat it if it took you six!
Specific Strategies for Today’s Puzzle
If you got stuck today, here’s what you can learn for next time a similar devilish word appears.
If You Got Stuck on the Third Letter: After finding S and A, many brains jump to a Q or C (for SQUAD or SCUBA). When those don’t pan out, remember less common consonants like M. The “S_M” bridge is a valid, if rare, construction.
Avoiding the “QU” Trap: The letter U often brings its friend Q along in English. Today, that association was a major red herring. Actively testing words without the Q (like using NAILS to check other letters) was key to escaping that trap.
Today’s Unique Letter Pattern: The “U-A” vowel combo with a consonant in between (U_MAC) is unusual. Recognizing rare vowel placements can help you guess outside the box.
By The Numbers: Some Cool Stats
How does SUMAC stack up in the grand scheme of words?
- Frequency in English: Extremely low. It’s a specialized term compared to everyday vocabulary.
- Common Word List Position: It ranks far, far outside the top 1,000 most common five-letter words.
- Comparison to Past Puzzles: This is in the same difficulty tier as words like “FJORD,” “NYMPH,” or “CYNIC”—uncommon and pattern-awkward.
- Estimated Player Success Rate: WordleBot data suggests a slightly higher-than-average fail rate and more 5- and 6-guess solves today.
For the Truly Curious
So, what exactly is sumac, besides a Wordle answer?
The word sumac (also spelled sumach) comes from the Old French sumac, which derived from the Arabic summāq, meaning “red.” It refers to a family of flowering plants and, most famously, a deep red spice made from drying and grinding its berries.
This tangy, lemony spice is a staple in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cooking, often sprinkled over grilled meats, rice, or salads like fattoush. In North America, some varieties of sumac are known for their brilliant red fall foliage, though others (like poison sumac) are, well, best avoided. It’s a beautiful example of a word that connects nature, cuisine, and culture.
Flashback: Yesterday’s Answer (#1,673)
If you’re catching up, yesterday’s Wordle answer was FIERY. It presented its own challenge with the “IE” vowel pair and the less-common “F” start. Compared to today’s SUMAC, FIERY was slightly more familiar but still tripped up players with options like “FILER,” “FIBER,” and “FIRED.” Both puzzles served as excellent reminders that Wordle loves to keep us on our toes.
Sharpen Your Skills: General Wordle Wisdom
Whether today was a breeze or a battle, here are some evergreen tips to carry into tomorrow’s puzzle:
- Vowel Variety is Key: After your starter, use your second guess to test the remaining major vowels (I, U) and high-frequency consonants (L, N, S, R, T). This is how you shrink the possibility pool fast.
- Beware of Letter Assumptions: Just because you have a U doesn’t mean a Q is lurking. Just because you have an I doesn’t guarantee an E follows. Treat each letter as an independent clue.
- Embrace the Uncommon: When common words don’t fit, your mind needs to access its “low-frequency” word bank. Think about niche categories: flora, fauna, spices, tools, archaic terms.
- Best Starters Based on Today: Today proved that starters rich in S, A, and R (like SOARE, ARISE, or RAISE) performed well. CRANE and SLATE also provided excellent foundational clues.
