Wordle #1,707: A Puzzle That Stinks (In a Good Way)
Welcome back, word wizards! Wordle #1,707 has landed, and let’s just say it has a certain… aroma to it. If your guesses today are leaving you with a sour expression, you’re not alone. This puzzle presents a classic Wordle curveball with an ending that trips up even the most seasoned players. According to the New York Times’ own WordleBot, the average player is taking about 4.1 moves to crack this one, whether they’re playing on easy or hard mode. That’s a solid indicator we’re dealing with a thinker.
Ready for the full breakdown? We’ve got progressive hints, a full strategy guide, and the answer itself. If you’re just here for a nudge, our hints section will guide you gently. But if you’re completely stuck and just want to preserve your streak, the answer awaits further down. Consider this your official spoiler warning!
Need a Hint? We’ve Got Three Levels
Don’t throw in the towel just yet. Work through these clues one by one to steer yourself toward the solution.
Level 1: Gentle Nudges
Today’s answer can function as both a verb and a noun. It contains just one vowel. The general theme revolves around a strong, and typically unpleasant, sensory experience.
Level 2: Getting Warmer
The word begins with the letter S. That single vowel is an A, and it’s positioned right in the middle of the word. Think of a past-tense description for something that didn’t smell very good.
Level 3: Almost There
The letter structure is: S _ A _ _. A close synonym is “reeked.” This word is commonly used in informal contexts to describe a bad smell or, metaphorically, to describe a poor performance (e.g., “That idea stinks”).
Difficulty Analysis: Why Today’s Wordle is Tough
Let’s break down the specific challenges of puzzle #1,707 in a quick visual table.
| Factor | Level | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Common Letters | 8/10 | It uses four of the top ten most common letters (S, T, A, N), which is actually very helpful. |
| Patterns | 3/10 | The “-ANK” ending is less frequent than patterns like “-OUND” or “-IGHT,” making it tricky. |
| Vowels | 7/10 | Having only one vowel (A) limits possibilities and can send you down rabbit holes. |
| Trickiness | 9/10 | The final ‘K’ is a major trap, as many similar words end with ‘C’ or ‘T’ (like STACK or STAND). |
Step-by-Step Solving Guide
Here’s how a strategic solve might have unfolded, using optimal starting words.
First Move (ORATE): A great starter like ORATE would likely give you a yellow ‘T’ and a green ‘A’, immediately placing that crucial vowel. This is a fantastic start, narrowing the field to around 28 possible answers.
Second Move (Strategic Follow-up): Now, you want to test other common consonants. A word like STAIN or SLANT is perfect here. Let’s say you play STAIN. Bingo! You’d get green ‘S’ and ‘T’, a green ‘A’ (confirmed), and a yellow ‘N’. The puzzle is crumbling.
The Elimination Process: You now know the word is S T A _ _. With an ‘N’ somewhere, likely at the end. Your brain races: STAND, STANK, STACK, STALL. You test the most common, STAND.
The “Aha!” Moment: STAND is wrong. You re-evaluate. The ‘N’ is yellow, not green, so it’s not in the last spot. It must be in position four: S T A N _. Words ending in ‘K’ are rare in Wordle, but that’s the only fit. The answer clicks: STANK.
Recommended Attempts: Solving this in 4 tries is excellent. Getting it in 3 is superb luck or genius. Needing 5 or 6 is completely normal given the tricky ending.
Specific Strategies for This Puzzle
If you got stuck today, here’s what might have happened and how to break free next time.
If you were stuck on the last letter: You probably had S T A N _ and tried every letter except ‘K’. Remember that ‘K’ at the end of a five-letter word is a Wordle rarity. When you see that pattern, force yourself to consider it, even if it feels wrong. It’s a classic NYT trick.
Avoiding the “STAND” trap: STAND is a much more common word. The key was paying close attention to the color of your ‘N’ in your second guess. If it was yellow, it couldn’t be in the final position, ruling STAND out immediately. Always let the color rules guide you strictly.
Today’s unique pattern: The “ST-A-” beginning is common, but the “-NK” conclusion is the real puzzle. This is a great reminder to practice words with less common consonant pairings like NK, CK, or GH.
By The Numbers: Fun Stats on Today’s Word
How does “STANK” stack up in the grand scheme of words?
- Frequency: It’s an informal word, so it’s less common in formal literature but very frequent in casual speech and writing.
- Word List Position: It ranks significantly lower in frequency lists compared to yesterday’s answer, HOIST, making it objectively a rarer puzzle solution.
- Success Rate: We estimate the global success rate today is slightly lower than average, likely around 85-90%, with more players than usual breaking their streaks on the final letter.
For the Curious: More About “Stank”
You’ve solved it, but what’s the story behind the word?
Etymology: “Stank” is simply the past tense of the verb “stink,” which comes from the Old English word stincan, meaning to emit a smell (good or bad). Over time, it specialized in meaning a bad odor.
Cool Usage: Beyond smell, “stank” is often used in African American Vernacular English (AAVE) and hip-hop to describe a confident, aggressive, or stylish attitude, as in “she put some stank on it.”
In Other Languages: In Scottish English, a “stank” can also mean a pond or a ditch. Meanwhile, in Dutch, the similar word stank simply means “stench.”
Looking Back: Yesterday’s Answer (Wordle #1,706)
If you’re catching up, yesterday’s solution was HOIST. It was a moderately challenging puzzle, featuring a less common word but with very friendly letters. Compared to today’s STANK, HOIST was a walk in the park—its main challenge was the uncommon HOI- beginning, not a deceptive ending. A smooth transition from yesterday’s lift to today’s… distinctive scent.
General Wordle Strategy Tips
Use today’s puzzle to sharpen your skills for tomorrow.
- Respect the Rare Ending: When you have the first four letters locked in and the last one seems impossible, brainstorm the least common letters for that position (K, J, Q, V, Z).
- Color Discipline is Key: A yellow letter means “not in this spot.” If your guess has a yellow ‘N’ at the end, do not test words with ‘N’ at the end in your next guess. This was the key mistake today.
- Best Starters from Today’s Data: Words like SLATE, SAINT, or SPILT performed exceptionally well today by testing S, T, L, and I early. They’re consistently strong choices.
- Manage Your Stamina: If you’re on guess 5 and blanking, use a “testing” guess that includes multiple possible letters for the missing slot, even if it’s not a real word, to gather maximum intel for your final attempt.
