Today's Wordle Hints, Clues and Answer for #1827 on June 20, 2026

Today's NYT Wordle lands with puzzle #1827, and this Saturday challenge brings a short, sharp word that rewards players who think beyond vowels. Whether you're protecting a legendary streak or starting fresh, we've got the hints to guide you home.

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 #1827 awaits.

The Letter Rundown

Today's puzzle breaks down like this:

Vowel Count: 2
Consonant Count: 3
Repeated Letters: No
Letter Rarity: Contains K, one of the less common letters in Wordle's answer pool

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 still waters, a quiet pond, and something gliding across the surface.

Level 2 (The Category): This word is a noun. It's a type of animal, specifically a male waterfowl.

Level 3 (The Boundaries): Starts with D, ends with E.

Level 4 (The Structure): The two vowels sit in positions 2 and 5, sandwiching a consonant cluster.

Level 5 (The Giveaway): A male duck, often found paddling on a pond or lake.

Quick-Reference Clues

First Letter: D

Last Letter: E

Vowels Present: A, E

Double Letters: No

Rhymes With: BRAKE, SHAKE, LAKE

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 #1827 is: DRAKE

Word DNA: Breaking Down Today's Answer

DRAKE is a noun. It refers to a male duck, the counterpart to a hen (female duck).

Origins: The word comes from Middle English "drake," of Germanic origin. It's been used in English since at least the 14th century to distinguish male ducks from females. The word also has a separate lineage from Old English "draca" meaning dragon or sea serpent, but that's a different drake entirely.

Word Family: drakes, duck, mallard

Fun Fact: DRAKE is one of only a handful of common five-letter words ending in -AKE that starts with D, making it a rare pattern in Wordle's answer pool. The K at position 4 is a letter that appears in fewer than 5% of Wordle answers, adding a hidden difficulty spike.

The Streak Saver Rating

Difficulty: 3 / 5
Trap Factor: MEDIUM. The word looks simple but the K at the end and the uncommon D-start can waste guesses if you chase common letters like S, T, or C first.
Average Solve: 3.8 guesses (estimate based on difficulty)

DRAKE sits in the middle of the difficulty scale. It's a short, familiar word that most players know, but the D-start and K-ending create a pattern that doesn't show up in standard opener strategies. Players who lead with common letters like S, T, A, R, E, and I may find themselves with a lot of yellow tiles and no clear path. The trap is overthinking, DRAKE is simpler than it looks once you lock in the D.

What This Puzzle Teaches

This word is a reminder that Wordle's answer pool rewards breadth, not just frequency. A strong opener like CRANE or SLATE would give you the A and E but miss the D and K entirely. If you're stuck with two vowels and a pattern like _ R A _ E, consider that the missing letters might be consonants you don't typically reach for early, D and K are exactly that kind of blind spot.

DRAKE also reinforces the value of process-of-elimination solving. Once you've ruled out common consonants like T, N, S, and C, the remaining possibilities narrow fast. The word's short, punchy structure means you can brute-force the last two letters once you've identified the _ R A _ E skeleton. Trust the process, not the guess.

Tomorrow's Reset

Puzzle #1828 drops at midnight in your timezone. Did today's DRAKE 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.