Wordle #1,698: A Puzzle That Might Make You Go “No Way”
Wordle #1,698 has arrived, and it’s serving up a challenge that feels a bit… restrictive. If your usual starting words left you with a sea of yellow and green but no clear path forward, you’re not alone. This one has a specific flavor that can trip up even the most seasoned solvers. According to the New York Times’ own WordleBot, the average player is taking about 4.0 moves to crack this code today.
Heads up, spoiler territory ahead! We’re about to dive into hints, strategy, and ultimately, the answer for Wordle #1,698. If you want to solve it on your own, now’s your last chance to look away. Otherwise, let’s break it down.
Need a Nudge? Here Are Your Progressive Hints
Stuck somewhere between your second and fourth guess? These hints escalate from gentle whispers to loud, clear shouts.
Level 1: Gentle Nudges
Word Type: It can be both a noun and an adjective.
Vowel Count: This word contains two vowels.
General Theme: It’s strongly associated with a lifestyle choice and dietary habits.
Level 2: Intermediate Clues
Starting Letter: The word begins with the letter V.
Vowel Positions: The two vowels are an ‘E’ and an ‘A’. The ‘A’ is the fourth letter.
Specific Context: Think about what you don’t find in this.
Level 3: Advanced Assistance
Letter Structure: The pattern is _ E _ A _ .
Related Synonyms: Plant-based, dairy-free, herbivore (in a modern context).
Common Use: You’ll often see this word on restaurant menus or product labels.
Today’s Difficulty Breakdown
Why did this puzzle feel tricky? Let’s score its challenging elements.
| Factor | Level | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Common Letters | 6/10 | It uses several common letters (E, A, N, G), but the leading ‘V’ is less frequent. |
| Patterns | 4/10 | The “_E_A_” pattern isn’t rare, but the word itself is a bit niche. |
| Vowels | 7/10 | Two vowels in common positions is helpful, but they can lead to many common alternatives. |
| Traps | 8/10 | Massive trap potential! Words like BEGAN, PECAN, SEDAN, and PAEAN are all plausible decoys. |
How to Solve It: A Step-by-Step Walkthrough
Here’s how a strategic approach can lead you to victory, ideally in four tries.
1. The Recommended Opener: Starting with a strong word like CRANE or SLATE is perfect. Let’s say you used CRANE. A great result would show the ‘A’ and ‘E’ as yellow, telling you they’re in the word but misplaced.
2. The Strategic Second Guess: Now, you want to test common consonants and reposition those vowels. A word like ALIEN is brilliant here. It moves the ‘A’ and ‘E’, adds common letters ‘L’, ‘I’, and ‘N’, and could turn the ‘N’ green. Suddenly, the board starts making sense.
3. The Elimination Process: With green ‘N’ at the end and yellow ‘A’ and ‘E’ to place, your mind might race to _ _ _ A N or _ E _ A N. This is where the trap words swarm. You need to think beyond the obvious BEGAN or SEDAN.
4. The “Aha!” Moment: When you realize the starting letter isn’t an S, B, or P, you might scan the alphabet for other options. The ‘V’ is a lightbulb moment. VEGAN fits the pattern perfectly and aligns with the dietary hint.
5. Recommended Attempts: Solving this in 4 tries is an excellent score. Three is outstanding, and five is perfectly respectable given the deceptive alternatives.
Specific Strategies for This Puzzle
If you got stuck on a specific point, here’s what you needed.
If you were stuck with _ E _ A N: The trap is focusing on the second letter. Don’t just cycle through B, P, S. Remember there are only 43 Wordle answers that start with ‘V’. It’s a less common, but valid, starting letter.
Avoiding the Letter Trap: The letters ‘P’, ‘B’, and ‘S’ are major red herrings today. If your guesses like PECAN or BEGAN aren’t working, you must force yourself to consider the entire alphabet, not just the most common starters.
Today’s Unique Letter Pattern: The “V_E_A_” structure is the key. Once you have the ‘V’ and the pattern, the word becomes clear.
By The Numbers: Fun Stats
- Frequency in English: The word “VEGAN” is moderately common, especially in contemporary contexts, but it’s far less frequent than the trap words like BEGAN.
- WordleBot Data: The bot’s top starting words (like PLANE or LANCE) left 25 and 16 possible answers, respectively. A starter like PENAL left only 4, including today’s answer.
- Success Rate: With an average of 4.0 guesses, today’s puzzle is slightly above average in difficulty. The high “traps” score in our table explains why.
For the Curious Minds
The term VEGAN was coined in 1944 by Donald Watson, a founder of The Vegan Society in the UK. He took the beginning and end of the word “vegetarian,” arguing that veganism is “the beginning and end of vegetarian.”
Beyond diet, it represents a philosophy seeking to exclude all forms of animal exploitation. Interestingly, the word’s journey from a niche dietary term to a mainstream label found on menus worldwide is a relatively recent linguistic phenomenon.
Yesterday’s Answer (Wordle #1,697)
For those catching up, yesterday’s answer was SCENE. It was a more straightforward puzzle, despite the double ‘E’, thanks to its use of very common letters. The jump from the common “SCENE” to the more specific “VEGAN” is a classic example of Wordle’s varied challenge.
General Wordle Strategy Tips
Today’s puzzle reinforces some universal lessons:
- Beware of Common Traps: Just because a word fits a common pattern (like _E_A_) doesn’t mean it’s the most common word. Be prepared to explore less frequent starting letters.
- Use Your Second Guess Strategically: Don’t just repeat yellow letters in the same spot. Like using ALIEN after CRANE, use turn two to test new common consonants and shift vowel positions.
- Mental Alphabet Scan: When stuck, literally run through the alphabet (A, B, C…) for that first or second letter. You’ll be surprised how often you skip over viable options like V, J, or Z.
- Context is a Clue: While Wordle answers are never proper nouns, they can be modern, culturally relevant terms. Don’t limit your thinking to only classic vocabulary.
