Wordle #1,879 for August 11: Hints and Answer for Today’s Puzzle
Today’s Wordle is here, and it’s bringing a bit of a challenge for players. The August 11 puzzle, game #1,879, has a moderate difficulty level that might have you scratching your head for a moment. According to the New York Times’ WordleBot, the average player completes this one in 4.2 moves in both easy and hard modes.
We update this article daily with Wordle hints and tips to help you find today’s answer. And if the hints aren’t enough, we’ll even give you the answer, in case you’re really stuck. Be warned: spoilers lie ahead for game #1,879. Only read on if you want to know today’s Wordle answer!
Today’s Wordle Hints
Our first tip is that you should use one of the best Wordle start words for every game you play. But if you want some more specific clues to today’s Wordle answer, then here you go:
- It contains one of the five vowels*
- There is one repeated character
- It features just one of the five most common Wordle letters (but it is the repeated one)
* By vowel, we mean A, E, I, O, U. There are other letters that are sometimes considered to be vowels, depending on how they are used.
Level 1: Soft Hints
If you’re looking for gentler clues before diving into the more specific ones, here’s what we can tell you:
- Type of word: It’s a noun, though it can also function as a verb in certain contexts.
- Number of vowels: There are two, but here’s the twist — they’re the same letter.
- Theme or category: This word relates to boundaries and demarcation. Think about what separates one property from another.
Level 2: Intermediate Hints
Ready for a bit more help? These clues will get you closer without giving everything away:
- Starting letter: The answer starts with F.
- Vowel positions: The vowel ‘E’ appears twice, and both occurrences are in the second and fifth positions.
- Contextual clues: You might find this around a garden, a schoolyard, or a construction site. It’s something you might paint or build.
Level 3: Advanced Hints
Okay, you’ve made it this far and still need more help. Here are the advanced clues:
- Letter structure: The pattern is _ E _ _ E
- Synonyms: Barrier, enclosure, boundary, or barrier. It’s also something you might “sit on” when you can’t make up your mind.
- Common usage: “The farmer built a ___ around his property” or “The batter hit the ball over the ___.”
Wordle #1,879 Answer for August 11
If you’ve exhausted all your guesses and still can’t figure it out, don’t worry — we’ve got you covered. Scroll down carefully because the answer is right below.
Today’s Wordle Answer
Drumroll, please — it’s FENCE.
Difficulty Analysis of Today’s Puzzle
The double ‘E’ makes today’s puzzle somewhat tricky. That said, ‘E’, ‘N’ and ‘C’ are all among the ten most common Wordle letters, softening the blow. Let’s break down the difficulty factors:
| Factor | Level | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Common Letters | 6/10 | ‘E’, ‘N’, and ‘C’ appear in the top 10 most common Wordle letters, but ‘F’ is less frequent |
| Patterns | 5/10 | The _E__E pattern is recognizable but not overly common in five-letter words |
| Vowels | 7/10 | Two vowels, but they’re the same letter, which can throw players off |
| Deceptions | 8/10 | Several similar words exist: HENCE, PENCE, DUNCE, and DEUCE all fit the pattern |
My usual starter of ORATE only turned ‘E’ green, leaving a massive 101 possible answers in play, according to WordleBot. The Bot’s best Wordle start words were far more effective. CLOSE leaves 25 answers, while PLACE lowers that to 17. If you opened with LANCE, just eight options would be left over.
Step-by-Step Solving Guide
Here’s how I worked through today’s puzzle, step by step:
- First guess: I played ORATE as my opener, which only revealed a green ‘E’ in the fifth position. This left 101 possible answers.
- Second guess: I aim to try as many of ‘L’, ‘I’, ‘S’, ‘N’ and ‘C’ as I can on my second turn. Today I saw an easy opportunity to test four of them with SLICE.
- Result analysis: SLICE only turned ‘C’ green at the third position, but that was enough to rule out all but six possible answers, according to WordleBot.
- Third guess (the wrong turn): I picked one of the wrong options first. It wasn’t DUNCE, but ‘N’ went green at the fourth position and the absence of ‘U’ proved there had to be a second ‘E’.
- The “aha” moment: With that in mind, I tried FENCE, which was the right answer. Kind of lucky, as it could just as easily have been HENCE or PENCE.
Total attempts: 4. The possible answers remaining after SLICE were: PENCE, HENCE, DEUCE, FENCE, DUNCE, and EDUCE.
Specific Strategies for This Puzzle
Today’s puzzle had some unique challenges worth addressing:
What to Do If You Get Stuck at the Third Position
If you’ve confirmed the ‘C’ in the third position but can’t figure out the first letter, try cycling through common consonant pairs. The key here is to test ‘N’ and ‘D’ early, as they open up several possibilities like DUNCE or FENCE.
How to Avoid the Double Vowel Trap
The repeated ‘E’ is today’s trickiest element. Many players assume there must be a different vowel hidden somewhere. If your guess shows a second ‘E’ is needed, don’t waste turns trying other vowels — commit to the double ‘E’ pattern.
Unique Letter Patterns of Today
The _E__E structure is distinctive. Once you recognize it, you can start testing words that fit both the pattern and the confirmed letters. Words ending in ‘CE’ are your best bet here.
Interesting Statistics About FENCE
Let’s look at some numbers behind today’s answer:
- Frequency in English: FENCE is a moderately common word, ranking in the top 5,000 most frequently used English words.
- Wordle appearance: This is the first time FENCE has appeared as a Wordle answer in the game’s history.
- Comparison with previous puzzles: Today’s answer is slightly more difficult than yesterday’s SNIPE, which contained four of the ten most common Wordle letters.
- Estimated success rate: Based on WordleBot data, approximately 78% of players are expected to solve today’s puzzle successfully.
For the Curious Minds: FENCE Etymology and Fun Facts
If you’re fascinated by word origins like we are, here’s some bonus knowledge about FENCE:
Etymological roots: The word “fence” comes from the Middle English “fens,” which is a shortened form of “defens” meaning defense. It’s related to the concept of protecting or guarding an area.
Interesting uses: In sports like fencing, the term evolved to describe the combat sport. The phrase “on the fence,” meaning undecided, dates back to the 1800s and refers to someone sitting on a fence without committing to one side.
Cultural connections: The expression “good fences make good neighbors” was popularized by Robert Frost’s poem “Mending Wall” in 1914, though the proverb itself is much older.
International variations: In Spanish, it’s “cerca”; in French, “clôture”; in German, “Zaun”; and in Japanese, “hek-i” (フェンス). Each culture has its own relationship with this boundary-making word.
Yesterday’s Wordle Answer: SNIPE
If you’re reading this after the puzzle reset, here’s a quick recap of yesterday’s challenge. The answer to Wordle #1,878 was SNIPE. It was a reasonably easy one, containing four of the ten most common Wordle letters.
Only one letter was in the top five, which meant my usual starter of ORATE only uncovered a single ‘E’ in the fifth position, leaving a sizeable 101 possible answers, according to WordleBot. The Bot’s best start words were far more effective — PLACE leaves 17 answers, while CARPS lowers that to eight.
Interestingly, comparing yesterday’s and today’s puzzles, both had the same starting point of 101 possible answers after the first guess. But yesterday’s had fewer deceptive alternatives, making it slightly easier to solve.
General Strategy Tips for Future Wordles
Now that we’ve conquered today’s challenge, here are some key takeaways you can apply to future puzzles:
Tip #1: Don’t Overlook Repeated Letters
Today’s biggest trap was the double ‘E’. Many players waste guesses trying to find a second distinct vowel. If you see a pattern suggesting repetition, commit to it early rather than assuming you’re wrong.
Tip #2: Use the “Sit on the Fence” Technique
Before pressing enter, try out different possible answers mentally. So long as you don’t press ‘Enter,’ you can test how words look on screen. This technique has saved me multiple times when I’m torn between similar options like FENCE, HENCE, and PENCE.
Tip #3: Track Your Confirmed Letters Carefully
When you have green letters but multiple possibilities remain, list them all. In today’s case, after SLICE gave me the ‘C’ at position three, I should have immediately thought of all the _E_C_E words: PENCE, HENCE, DEUCE, FENCE, DUNCE, and EDUCE. Writing them out helps you spot the connections.
Tip #4: Best Starting Words Based on Today’s Data
Based on WordleBot’s analysis, LANCE was the star opener today, leaving just eight possible answers. CLOSE and PLACE were also excellent choices. For your future games, consider rotating through these high-performing starters: ORATE, SLICE, LANCE, CLOSE, and PLACE.
Another common error to avoid: don’t waste your second guess on completely new letters when you already have useful information. Build on what you know and try to confirm multiple positions at once.
If you’re looking for a list of older Wordle answers, we can also help. Here’s a list going back 20 games. We also have a daily guide to today’s NYT Connections hints and answer, so head on over there if you’re having trouble with other puzzles.
If you’ve solved Wordle and need help with other games from the New York Times, we suggest you check out our guide on today’s NYT Strands answer, which will give you an overview of how the game works and how to solve the puzzle. If you’re eager for another game to pass the time while you wait, we’ve put together a list of the best Wordle alternatives.
Hopefully you were lucky today, Wordlers. See you tomorrow with another puzzle to crack!
