Welcome to The Wordle Review. Be warned: This article contains spoilers for today’s puzzle. Solve Wordle first, or scroll at your own risk.
This month’s featured artist is Mark Pernice. You can read more about him here.
★★★
Wordle 646 5/6
????????⬜⬜⬜
⬜⬜????????????
⬜⬜????⬜⬜
????????????????⬜
????????????????????
I decided to do Wordle with my 15-year-old because they love the game, and it was a chance for us to bond a little. Immediately, we argue over our starting word. I always go with SLATE because that’s what the Wordle analysis suggests. They insist on ONSET.
“The thing is, even if you don’t get any letters right, you eliminate five really common letters, including S and T, which are also in your beloved SLATE,” they say.
We play rock-paper-scissors. I throw rock, and they call out “tornado” and swirl their fingers, which apparently beats all. I’ve never heard of that, but I don’t argue because, as the parent of a teenager, I’ve learned to pick my battles.
With ONSET, we get two of the correct letters in the wrong spots and eliminate three really common letters. It’s a good start. We follow up with WRONG, which seems like a strong move.
They are confident we can get this in three.
“I usually get it in three and sometimes four,” they tell me. “But there was a really bad day when I got it in six, and I almost cried.”
Then we sit. And sit. We decide to do a Hail Mary and try a word that doesn’t include any of the letters already on the board. It’s a desperate strategy. We use CHALK.
“That actually did a lot for us,” they say with renewed confidence. We now know the G has to be first if the O is last.
Then we sit. And sit. We are in agony, which we decide to use as another long-shot guess. Then it hits me, clear as day: GUANO. Bat poop!
“I didn’t even know that was a word,’ they say, heading back to their room.
So props to Wordle. It nearly brought us to our knees, but my kid learned a new word.
Today’s word is GUANO. Webster’s New World College Dictionary describes it as the accumulated waste of bats and birds living near the sea, which can be used as fertilizer.
Today’s Statistics
Information about the difficulty of today’s Wordle and how Times readers solved it will be available once more readers have had the chance to play.
Wordle Wrap-Up
Here is your reminder of the answers last week.
Wordle 639 Monday, March 20: GLOVE
Wordle 640 Tuesday, March 21: TOUGH
Wordle 641 Wednesday, March 22: DUVET
Wordle 642 Thursday, March 23: STAID
Wordle 643 Friday, March 24: GROUT
Wordle 644 Saturday, March 25: VOTER
Wordle 645 Sunday, March 26: UNTIE
Our Featured Artist
Mark Pernice is an award-winning illustrator, art director and designer. He runs the multidisciplinary design studio OOO, alongside his creative directing partner, Elana Schlenker. Pernice injects his personality and style into brand illustrations using a variety of details, textures and messages. “I’m not that interested in making obvious illustrations, and I don’t want to shoehorn in overused visual iconography unless there’s a bit of a fun twist or mystery,” he said in an interview with It’s Nice That.
Further Reading
If you solved for a word different from what was featured today, please refresh your page.
Join the conversation on social media! Use the hashtag #wordlereview to chat with other solvers.
Leave any thoughts you have in the comments! Please follow community guidelines:
Be kind. Comments are moderated for civility.
Having a technical issue? Please use the help button in the settings menu of the Games app, or email nytgames@nytimes.com.
These rules will be enforced.