【Semi-dokyumento: Tokkun Meiki Dukuri】

New week, new day, new Wordle!We're here to help you with some subtle clues and the word of the day itself. A friendly reminder, in case you missed the recent rule change: The New York Times has added a new word list and updated the rules, so now plurals ending in S or ES will never be the solution.

If you'd rather have the answer to today's Wordledelivered straight, skip to the end of this article for December 12's solution revealed. Alternatively, if you prefer to do the work yourself, keep scrolling for tips, clues, and strategies to offer you a helping hand.

Where did Wordle come from?

Wordlewas originally created by engineer Josh Wardle as a gift for his partner, but soon spread internationally. Thousands of people around the globe now play this game each day, and fans have even created alternate Wordle versions inspired by the original. This includes battle royale Squabble, music identification game Heardle, and variations like Dordleand Quordlethat make you guess multiple words at once. 

In fact, the word puzzle game has proved so popular that the New York Times eventually bought it, and TikTok creators livestream themselves playing.

What's the best Wordle starting word?

Unlike a maths equation, there is no single correct answer to what the best Wordlestarting word is. However, there are more strategic options, and we have plenty of ideas that can help you choose. For example, try picking a word that includes at least two different vowels, as well as some common consonants such as S, T, R, or N.

What happened to the Wordle archive?

The entire archive of past Wordle puzzles used to be available for anyone to enjoy when they had some spare time and no pressing responsibilities. Unfortunately it has since been taken down, which was done at the request of the New York Times according to the website's creator.

Is Wordle getting harder?

If you've been finding Wordletoo easy, there is a Hard Mode you can enable to give yourself more of a challenge. But unless you activate this mode, we can assure you that Wordle isn't getting harder. 

Why are there two different Wordle answers some days?

Usually, Wordlesolutions are like Highlander: There can be only one. However occasionally the puzzle game has accepted two different correct solutions on the same day, in apparent defiance of Wordlelaw. This aberration is due to changes the New York Timesmade after it acquired Wordle.

The Timeshas since added its own updated word list, so this should happen even less frequently than before. To avoid any confusion, it's a good idea to refresh your browser before getting stuck into a new puzzle.

Here's a subtle hint for today's Wordle answer:

There's only one vowel!

Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?

It does — and they're neighbours!

Today's Wordle is a 5-letter word that ends with...

Today's Wordleends with the letter Y.

What's the answer to Wordle today?

It's your last chance to guess today's Wordle! We're finally about to reveal the solution.

Are you ready?

The answer to Wordle #541 is...

APPLY.

Don't feel down if you didn't get it this time! There's always another day, and with it another Wordle. Come back tomorrow for more helpful clues and hints!

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to today's Wordle.