Have you ever found yourself staring at the Wordle grid, the five blank squares mocking your every guess? The daily puzzle has become a global phenomenon, a quick mental workout that many integrate into their routines. But what happens when you hit a wall, needing just a little nudge to crack the code?
Today's Wordle Hints & Answer for January 4, 2026
For those seeking assistance with today's Wordle puzzle, specifically for Sunday, January 4, 2026 (Wordle #1,660), you've come to the right place. We'll provide you with a series of clues, strategic advice, and ultimately, the solution. This particular puzzle is of medium difficulty; I managed to solve it in four guesses.
Spoiler Alert: If you prefer to solve today's Wordle puzzle without any help, please scroll past the hints and the answer. The solution is revealed below.
Mastering the Wordle Grid
Wordle, the popular five-letter word guessing game, releases a new puzzle every day at midnight in your local time zone. The objective is simple: guess the secret five-letter word within six attempts.
Your journey begins with entering any valid five-letter word. The game then provides feedback using colored tiles: green for a correct letter in the correct position, yellow for a correct letter in the wrong position, and gray for a letter that doesn't appear in the word at all. This feedback is crucial for narrowing down possibilities. For a comprehensive understanding of the rules, you can refer to detailed guides on Wordle strategy.
Unlocking Today's Wordle Puzzle
Let's dive into some hints to help you conquer today's Wordle. Remember, today's Wordle hints (and the subsequent answer are for January 4, 2026.
Are There Uncommon Letters?
The standard set of common English letters, often remembered by the mnemonic "ETAOIN SHRDLU," are generally frequent in Wordle. Today's puzzle predominantly features these common letters. Only one letter deviates slightly from the most frequent, but it's still a relatively common occurrence in English words.
A Direct Hint
The word relates to a type of group or a collection of people or things.
Double Trouble: Repeated Letters?
Yes, there is one letter that appears twice in today's solution.
How Many Vowels?
Today's word contains two vowels, with one of them being used twice.
The First and Last Letters
The word begins with the letter P.
The word concludes with the letter E.
Context from Yesterday
Yesterday's puzzle, Wordle #1,659, was considered easier. The hint revolved around something that "has strings," and the answer was SITAR, a five-letter word composed entirely of common letters.
The Solution Revealed
Ready for the answer to Wordle #1,660?
The solution for today, January 4, 2026, is: POSSE.
My Path to POSSE
My strategy involved starting with words designed to test common letters and their positions. I began with RAISE and TOUCH. These initial guesses helped eliminate many unlikely letters and confirmed the presence of 'S' and 'E'. My third guess, GLOOM, further refined the possibilities by testing more common consonants and vowels. This systematic approach left me with a strong set of potential letters, leading directly to POSSE within four guesses.
Elevating Your Wordle Game
Beyond just guessing, strategic play can significantly improve your success rate. Understanding the game's mechanics and employing smart tactics are key.
The Power of the First Guess
Your initial word is critical. Aim for words that contain the most common letters to maximize your chances of getting green or yellow squares. Words like CRANE, TRACE, SLANT, or SALET are often recommended because they feature a good mix of frequently used vowels and consonants (New York Times, 2021). An MIT analysis suggested that words like REAST or SLATE could also be highly effective in eliminating possibilities early on.
For instance, starting with ARISE might reveal the 'A', 'R', 'I', 'S', and 'E' in yellow or green, giving you a solid foundation. Conversely, while words with many vowels like ADIEU or AUDIO seem appealing, focusing on strong consonants first, such as with RENTS or CLAMP, can sometimes be more efficient in ruling out large swathes of potential words.
Advanced Tactics
For those who want to deepen their Wordle expertise, several strategies can be employed. One effective method involves using your guesses to strategically fish for hints. If you suspect the word might end in "OUND," don't waste guesses on MOUND, ROUND, SOUND, and HOUND individually. Instead, try a word like MARSH. If the 'H' turns yellow, you've gained valuable information about the word's structure.
It's also worth noting that the Wordle solution list has evolved since its inception. While the original list contained around 2,300 words, the current set used by The New York Times is larger and sometimes includes less common or more topical words. This means keeping an eye out for potential themes, especially around holidays or significant events, can sometimes provide an edge.
A Strategic Example
Imagine your first guess yields only gray letters except for an 'S' in the third position (yellow). Your second guess might be a word like PLUME, which tests common letters like P, L, U, M, and E. If 'P' and 'E' turn green, and 'L' and 'M' are gray, you now know the word contains 'S' in the third spot and 'P' and 'E' in their respective positions. With only six guesses, this kind of targeted approach is essential.
Another Hint Example
Consider a scenario where your initial guesses confirm the letters 'A', 'R', and 'T' are in the word, but their positions are uncertain. Instead of guessing ARBOR next, which repeats 'R', you might try a word like TRASH. This tests 'T', 'R', 'A', and 'S' in new positions while also introducing 'H'. If 'T' and 'A' turn green, and 'R' and 'S' are yellow, you're getting closer to understanding the word's structure.
A Final Strategy Example
Let's say you've used a few guesses and know the word contains 'O' and 'T', with 'T' being the last letter. Your next guess could be MOTTO, which tests 'M', 'O' (twice), and 'T'. If the 'O's are yellow and the 'T' is green, you've learned a lot. You now know the word likely has double 'O's somewhere and ends in 'T'. This kind of informed guessing is key to cracking today's Wordle hints (and the eventual answer efficiently.
Beyond Wordle: Other Word Games
If the daily Wordle isn't enough to satisfy your craving for word puzzles, a variety of alternatives exist:
- Harder Wordle Variants: Games like Quordle (four puzzles), Octordle (eight puzzles), and Sedecordle (16 puzzles) challenge you to solve multiple Wordle grids simultaneously with a shared guess pool.
- Anagram Games: Wordscapes involves rearranging letters to form words, often within a visually appealing landscape.
- Logic-Based Puzzles: Dordle offers two Wordle puzzles per game, requiring careful strategy to solve both.
- Word Ladder Games: Word Twist challenges players to find as many words as possible within a given set of letters, often with time constraints.
- Word Search Variants: Some games blend word search mechanics with guessing, requiring players to find words within a grid based on clues.
Whether you're a seasoned Wordle player or new to the game, understanding these strategies can enhance your enjoyment and success. Keep practicing, and you'll soon find yourself cracking the code more often than not!
