Wordle #1,698: The Answer That Might Just Break Your Salad Fork
Alright, Wordlers, gather ’round. Wordle #1,698 has landed, and let’s just say it’s the kind of puzzle that makes you question your entire vocabulary. It’s not the hardest we’ve ever seen, but it has a certain… nutritional smugness about it. According to the all-seeing, all-knowing WordleBot, the average player is cracking this nut in about 4.0 moves on easy mode, or a slightly more impressive 3.9 if you’re playing by the unforgiving hard rules. Feeling above average yet?
⚠️ Spoiler Territory Ahead! ⚠️ We’re about to dive into hints, strategies, and eventually, the full answer for Wordle #1,698. If you’re still savoring the struggle, this is your last chance to click away. For everyone else ready for the solution, let’s get to it.
Need a Nudge? Here Are Your Progressive Hints
Stuck somewhere between your second and third guess? Don’t panic. We’ve got a series of clues, from gentle whispers to almost shouting the answer in your ear.
Level 1: Gentle Nudges
Word Type: It can be used as both a noun and an adjective.
Vowel Count: There are two vowels in today’s answer.
General Theme: Think lifestyle, diet, and choices that spark dinner-table debates.
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 ‘E’ comes before the ‘A’.
Specific Context: This word is often seen on restaurant menus and food packaging, describing something that contains no animal products.
Level 3: Advanced Spoiler-Hints
Letter Structure: The pattern is V _ _ A _.
Related Synonyms: Plant-based, dairy-free (in many cases), cruelty-free.
Common Use: “I’ll have the ___ burger, please.” Or, “She has been ___ for five years.”
Why Was Today’s Wordle So Tricky? A Difficulty Breakdown
| Factor | Level | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Letras Comunes | 4/10 | Only a couple of the top 10 most common Wordle letters appear. It starts with a less common letter, which immediately narrows the field drastically. |
| Patrones | 6/10 | The “_ _ A N” ending is fairly common, which can be helpful, but the “V” start is a major curveball that disrupts typical guessing patterns. |
| Vocales | 7/10 | Having two vowels is standard, but their placement in the middle creates many possible common words (like BEGAN, SEDAN, PECAN), leading to potential misdirection. |
| Engaños | 9/10 | This is the real killer. Once you have “_ _ A N,” your brain floods with options like BEGAN, SEDAN, PECAN, and even WAGON or PAEAN. It’s a trap! |
Cracking the Code: A Step-by-Step Solve Guide
Let’s walk through how an optimal solve might have unfolded, using strategic starting words.
First Move (The Opener): I started with my trusty ORATE. It’s a great all-rounder, hitting three of the five most common vowels and a common consonant. The result? The ‘A’ and ‘E’ lit up yellow. Promising, but with 126 possible answers still in play, the work had just begun.
Second Move (Strategic Narrowing): My goal here was to test common consonants like L, S, N, C, and I while moving the yellow letters around. I played ALIEN. Bingo! The ‘N’ turned green, locking in the ending. The ‘A’ and ‘E’ remained yellow but were now confirmed not to be in their first or second positions. WordleBot told me I was down to just five possible answers: SEDAN, PECAN, BEGAN, PAEAN, and the answer.
The “Aha!” Moment: Staring at the list, I saw a theme: three common words and one obscure one (PAEAN). But the puzzle had a modern feel. I thought of today’s NYT Strands puzzle (which often has a theme) and guessed PECAN. This turned the ‘E’ and ‘A’ green! Now the pattern was clear: _ E _ A N. With BEGAN and SEDAN ruled out by my earlier guesses, the only logical, modern choice left was VEGAN.
Recommended Attempts: A solve in 3-4 attempts is excellent here. If you got it in 5 or 6, you successfully navigated a minefield of similar words—well done!
Specific Strategies for Today’s Puzzle
If you got stuck on the “_ _ A N” ending, you weren’t alone. The key was to ignore the obvious past-tense verbs (BEGAN) and common nouns (SEDAN, WAGON) once they were disproven. This forced you to consider less common starting letters. Remember, when you have a common ending, the solution often lies in a less common beginning.
The real trap was the letter ‘V’. We simply don’t use it enough in starter words. Today’s puzzle was a perfect reminder to occasionally test those less frequent consonants (V, J, X, Z, Q) in your later guesses when the common ones don’t pan out.
By The Numbers: Fun Stats About Today’s Word
- Frequency in English: Relatively high in modern usage, but historically low. It’s a word that has skyrocketed in popularity over the last two decades.
- Wordle Answer Rarity: This was only the 43rd Wordle answer to ever begin with the letter ‘V’.
- Comparative Difficulty: Significantly harder than yesterday’s SCENE, due almost entirely to the uncommon starting letter and the high number of “look-alike” words.
- Estimated Player Success Rate: We’d wager a slightly lower-than-average solve rate today, with a higher number of streaks broken by the SEDAN/BEGAN/PECAN trap.
For the Truly Curious
The word VEGAN is a surprisingly young term. It was coined in 1944 by Donald Watson, a founder of the British Vegan Society, by taking the beginning and end of the word “vegetarian.” He felt it marked “the beginning and end of vegetarian.”
An interesting tidbit? The original definition was more about a philosophy seeking to exclude animal exploitation “as far as is possible and practicable,” not just a diet. It’s also a rare example of a coined word that has entered the global lexicon almost unchanged in spelling, from Spanish to German to Japanese (ビーガン).
A Quick Look Back: Yesterday’s Answer (Wordle #1,697)
If you’re just joining us, yesterday’s answer was SCENE. A much more straightforward puzzle featuring a double ‘E’, it was solved in an average of just over 4 guesses. The jump from the common letters in SCENE to the tricky start of today’s VEGAN is a classic example of Wordle’s beautiful, frustrating volatility.
3 General Wordle Tips to Take Into Tomorrow
- Beware the Common Ending Trap: When you lock in a common ending like “_ _ A N” or “_ _ _ E D”, immediately brainstorm words that fit but start with uncommon letters. It’s often the key.
- Vary Your Consonant Testing: Don’t just recycle S, T, R, L, N. Once those are green or grey, have a plan to test V, C, M, P, and B.
- Use Your Yellow Letters Aggressively: Your second guess should almost always move every yellow letter from your first guess to a new position. This is the fastest way to pinpoint their true location.
There you have it! Whether you aced it or faced the humbling might of the dictionary, we hope this guide helped. Remember, there’s always a new puzzle tomorrow. See you then, Wordlers!
