Today's NYT Wordle lands with puzzle #1851, and this Tuesday challenge brings a familiar food word that's trickier to pin down than it looks thanks to that uncommon closing K. 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 #1851 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: Mostly common letters, but K is an uncommon ending letter in Wordle
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 sizzling grill marks and a perfectly charred crust.
Level 2 (The Category): This word is a noun. It's something you'd order at a restaurant or cook on a barbecue.
Level 3 (The Boundaries): Starts with S, ends with K.
Level 4 (The Structure): The two vowels sit in positions 2 and 4, creating a consonant-vowel-consonant-vowel-consonant pattern.
Level 5 (The Giveaway): A thick cut of beef, typically grilled or pan-seared to order.
Quick-Reference Clues
First Letter: S
Last Letter: K
Vowels Present: E, A
Double Letters: No
Rhymes With: BREAK, STAKE, BAKE
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 #1851 is: STEAK
Word DNA: Breaking Down Today's Answer
STEAK is a noun. A thick slice of high-quality meat, typically beef, cooked by grilling, broiling, or pan-searing.
Origins: Borrowed from Old Norse "steik" (roast meat), which traces back to Proto-Germanic "*staikō" (roasted meat). The word entered English during the Viking Age, reflecting Scandinavian culinary influence on the British Isles.
Word Family: steaks, steakhouse, steak-knife, steak-like, T-bone steak, steak tartare
Fun Fact: STEAK is part of a notable Wordle pattern where the letter K appears in position 5, one of the rarest ending letters in the game. Only about 2% of Wordle answers end in K, making this a legitimate trap for players who burn through their guesses on common vowel-heavy openers.
The Streak Saver Rating
Difficulty: 3 / 5
Trap Factor: MEDIUM. The word looks straightforward with its common letters, but that K at the end is easy to overlook if your strategy relies on guessing common consonant endings like T, R, N, or S.
Average Solve: 3.6 guesses (estimate based on difficulty)
STEAK sits in the moderate difficulty zone. The letters S, T, E, and A are all high-frequency tiles that most opening guesses will hit. The real challenge is the final K, players who solve the first four letters early may stall out cycling through possible endings. Standard openers like CRANE or SLATE will reveal S, T, E, and A quickly, but you'll need to resist tunnel vision on more common endings like -ST or -T.
What This Puzzle Teaches
K endings are rare but real. Wordle answers end with K far less often than with T, R, N, S, or Y. This puzzle is a reminder that when you've got the first four letters locked but the fifth remains stubbornly gray, it's worth testing uncommon consonants like K, P, or G before burning guesses on vowels.
Vowel placement matters. STEAK's E-A vowel pair in positions 2 and 4 creates a symmetrical pattern that many common Wordle openers can crack. If your starting word includes both E and A in those relative positions, you're looking at a quick solve. This reinforces why strong openers like SLATE or CRANE outperform random guesses, they cover high-frequency vowels and consonants simultaneously.
Tomorrow's Reset
Puzzle #1852 drops at midnight in your timezone. Did today's STEAK 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.
