Today's NYT Wordle lands with puzzle #1782, and this Wednesday challenge brings an uncommon "K" into the mix, a letter that appears in fewer than 5% of Wordle answers, making this verb a midweek curveball for players relying on standard vowel-heavy openers.
The Basics (For New Players)
Wordle gives you six attempts to crack a five-letter word. After each guess, tiles change color: green means right letter, right spot; yellow signals right letter, wrong position; gray indicates the letter isn't in the word at all. One puzzle per day, shared by millions worldwide. That's the beauty of it.
Created by Josh Wardle in 2021 and now part of The New York Times Games family, Wordle has become a daily ritual for word lovers everywhere. Today's puzzle #1782 awaits.
The Letter Rundown
Today's puzzle breaks down like this:
Vowel Count: 2 vowel(s)
Consonant Count: 3 consonant(s)
Repeated Letters: No
Letter Rarity: Contains uncommon letter K, one of the rarest letters in the Wordle dictionary
The Elimination Game (Progressive Hints)
We've designed these hints to reveal just enough at each level. Stop when you've got it figured out.
Level 1 (The Vibe): Think of two things that share a resemblance.
Level 2 (The Category): This word is a verb. It's what you do when you compare one thing to another.
Level 3 (The Boundaries): Starts with L, ends with N.
Level 4 (The Structure): The vowels sit in positions 2 and 4. No double letters.
Level 5 (The Giveaway): To draw a comparison or point out a similarity between two things.
Quick-Reference Clues
First Letter: L
Last Letter: N
Vowels Present: I, E
Double Letters: No
Rhymes With: CHICKEN, THICKEN, STRIKEN
Today's Wordle Answer
Final warning: The answer is directly below. Scroll only if you're ready.
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The answer to Wordle #1782 is: LIKEN
Word DNA: Breaking Down Today's Answer
LIKEN is a transitive verb meaning to point out the resemblance between two things or to describe something as similar to something else.
Origins: From Middle English "liknen," meaning to compare or make like. It traces further back to Old English "gelīcian" (to please, to be like) and the Proto-Germanic root "*galīkōną." The word shares DNA with "like," "alike," and "likeness."
Word Family: like, likely, likeness, alike, unlike, likelihood, likening
Fun Fact: LIKEN is one of only a handful of Wordle answers ending in -KEN. The letter K appears in roughly 5% of all Wordle solutions, making any puzzle containing it a statistical outlier that rewards players who diversify their opener strategy beyond common consonants.
The Streak Saver Rating
Difficulty: 3 / 5
Trap Factor: MEDIUM. The K throws off players who rely on standard vowel-heavy openers like ADIEU or AUDIO, neither would touch that center letter. Once you land on L, I, or E, the pattern becomes solvable, but the K can eat two or three guesses if you're not ready for it.
Average Solve: 3.8 guesses (estimate based on difficulty)
This puzzle sits in the middle of the difficulty scale for one reason: the K. Most Wordle players open with words built around common consonants (R, S, T, N, L) and vowels (A, E, I, O, U). LIKEN uses familiar letters overall, L, I, E, N are all common, but the K at position 3 creates a blind spot for anyone who hasn't tested that letter. If you hit K early, this puzzle folds in three or four moves. If you don't, you're guessing until the final rows.
What This Puzzle Teaches
Openers matter, but flexibility matters more. If your first two guesses return all grays on common consonants, pivot hard toward less frequent letters like K, W, V, or Z. LIKEN punishes tunnel vision, it rewards players who systematically eliminate letter groups rather than chasing the same five common consonants every round.
The -EN ending is a recurring Wordle pattern. Words like HAPPEN, OLDEN, WIDEN, and LIKEN all share this suffix. Recognizing that pattern early, once you've identified the first three letters, dramatically narrows your options and turns a three-guess puzzle into a two-guess solve.
Tomorrow's Reset
Puzzle #1783 drops at midnight in your timezone. Did today's LIKEN catch you off guard, or did you crack it in three? Either way, every Wordle sharpens your instincts for the next one.
See you at midnight for the next challenge.
