Wordle #1,707: A Puzzle That Stinks (In the Best Way)
Wordle #1,707 has arrived, and it’s a bit of a stinker. Not in a bad way, mind you—it’s a perfectly valid word—but it might leave you scratching your head for a moment. According to the New York Times’ own WordleBot, the average player is solving today’s puzzle in 4.1 moves, whether they’re playing on easy or hard mode. That tells us this one has a little twist that can trip you up.
Ready to dive in? We’ve got hints, a full strategy breakdown, and the answer if you’re truly stuck. But be warned: spoilers for Wordle #1,707 lie directly ahead. If you want to solve it fresh, now’s your chance to turn back!
Need a Nudge? Here Are Your Progressive Hints
Stuck somewhere between your second and fourth guess? Use these hints, escalating from gentle to direct, to guide you home without completely giving it away.
Level 1: Gentle Nudges
Today’s answer is most commonly a verb in its past tense. It contains one vowel. The general theme or category revolves around perception, specifically one of the five senses.
Level 2: Intermediate Clues
The word begins with the letter S. The single vowel in the word is an A, and it is the second letter. Think of a strong, and usually unpleasant, olfactory experience.
Level 3: Advanced Spoilers
The letter structure is S T A N K. A direct synonym is “reeked.” It’s a word often used informally to describe something that smelled very bad.
Today’s Difficulty Analysis
| Factor | Level | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Common Letters | 8/10 | It uses four of the ten most common Wordle letters (S, T, A, N), making initial hits likely. |
| Patterns | 3/10 | The “-ANK” ending is less frequent than patterns like “-IGHT” or “-OUND.” |
| Vowels | 7/10 | Having only one vowel (A) simplifies options, but its fixed position helps. |
| Traps | 9/10 | Extremely high! Words like STAND, STAMP, STALK, and STACK are all plausible decoys that can ruin a streak. |
How to Solve Wordle #1,707: A Step-by-Step Walkthrough
Let’s break down an optimal solving path, using strategic guesses to narrow down the field efficiently.
First Guess (ORATE): A strong opener like ORATE gives us a great start. It reveals a yellow ‘T’ and a green ‘A’ in the second position. Immediately, we know the structure is _ A _ _ _. WordleBot says this leaves 28 possible solutions.
Second Guess (STAIN): Now we strategically test common consonants around that green ‘A’. STAIN is perfect, placing ‘S’ at the start and ‘T’ in the third position (both turn green), and adding an ‘N’ that turns yellow. The board now shows S T A _ _, with an ‘N’ somewhere else. The Bot narrows it down to just two possibilities: STAND and STANK.
The “Aha!” Moment: This is the critical junction. You might logically try STAND first, as it’s a more common word. When it fails, the only logical conclusion left is STANK. The key was recognizing that a word ending with a ‘K’ (without a preceding ‘C’) is a rarer pattern in Wordle, making it the sneaky, less-obvious answer.
Recommended Attempts: Solving in 4 attempts is excellent today. Getting it in 3 would require a very lucky second guess that specifically tested for the ‘K’ ending.
Specific Strategies for This Sneaky Puzzle
If you got stuck today, it was likely at the very end. Here’s what you can learn for next time.
If You Got Stuck on the Last Letter: When you have S T A _ _ locked in, don’t just run through common endings like -ND, -CK, or -MP. Actively consider less common consonants like K, X, or Z. Remember, Wordle loves to use colloquial and informal words.
Avoiding the STAND Trap: STAND is the classic decoy. To avoid it, before playing your final guess, ask yourself: “Have I tested for a less-common final letter?” Using a guess to eliminate multiple common endings (like trying STACK to test for ‘C’ and ‘K’) can be a smarter play than directly guessing the obvious word.
Today’s Unique Letter Pattern: The “-NK” ending is the real trick. It’s not unheard of (think BLANK, PLANK, FRANK), but it’s far less frequent than “-ND” or “-NT”. When your green letters point to a consonant-heavy ending, brainstorm these less-common pairs.
By The Numbers: Fun Stats on “STANK”
- Frequency in English: “Stank” is relatively uncommon in formal writing but sees regular use in informal speech and narrative.
- Wordle Commonality: It ranks as a less-common answer, similar to words like “KNOLL” or “CRIMP” in its potential to surprise players.
- Comparison to Past Puzzles: This puzzle is reminiscent of Wordle #1,682 (SKULL), which also used a less-frequent double-L ending to create effective decoys (SKILL, SKALD).
- Estimated Player Success Rate: Given the 4.1 average and the nasty STAND trap, we estimate a slightly higher-than-usual failure rate today, perhaps around 8-10%.
For the Word Nerds: Etymology & More
Where does “stank” come from? It’s the simple past tense of the verb “stink,” which has Old English roots in the word stincan, meaning to emit a smell (which could be good or bad). Over time, its meaning narrowed to primarily unpleasant odors.
An interesting tidbit: In Scottish and Northern English dialects, a “stank” can also be a noun meaning a pond or a ditch, coming from a completely different Old French root (estanc). So if you ever see “stank” in an old novel describing the countryside, it might not be talking about a smell!
In modern pop culture, “stank” has been embraced in phrases like “stank face” – the grimace one makes when hearing an incredibly funky bassline or tasting something powerfully sour.
Recap: Yesterday’s Wordle Answer (#1,706)
Yesterday’s solution provided a smoother ride. The answer to Wordle #1,706 was HOIST. It was a more straightforward solve, with common letters and a recognizable pattern. The main challenge was choosing between HOIST, MOIST, FOIST, and JOIST—a classic Wordle family of words. Compared to today’s STANK, HOIST was arguably a full point easier on the difficulty scale.
3 General Wordle Tips to Take Forward
Today’s puzzle reinforces some universal strategies. Keep these in your back pocket:
- Beware the Word Family Trap: When you have several green letters, immediately brainstorm the “family” of words that fit (like _OIST or STAN_). Dedicate one guess to testing the varying letter rather than guessing the family members one by one.
- Embrace the Informal: Wordle’s word list includes plenty of slang, past tenses, and colloquial terms. Don’t limit yourself to only “dictionary-headline” words.
- Endgame Consonant Check: Before your final guess, do a quick mental scan of less common final consonants (J, K, Q, V, W, X, Z). It takes two seconds and can save your streak.
Happy solving, and we’ll see you tomorrow for the next Wordle challenge!
