Today's NYT Wordle lands with puzzle #1696, and this Monday challenge delivers a musical instrument with a double consonant that could trip up pattern recognition. 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 #1696 awaits.
The Letter Rundown
Today's puzzle breaks down like this:
Vowel Count: 2 vowel(s)
Consonant Count: 3 consonant(s)
Repeated Letters: Yes - the letter L appears twice
Letter Rarity: All common letters
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 classical music halls and orchestral warmth.
Level 2 (The Category): This word is a noun. It's a musical instrument with strings.
Level 3 (The Boundaries): Starts with C, ends with O.
Level 4 (The Structure): The vowels are in positions 2 and 5, with a double consonant in the middle.
Level 5 (The Giveaway): A large stringed instrument played between the knees with a bow.
Quick-Reference Clues
First Letter: C
Last Letter: O
Vowels Present: E, O
Double Letters: YES
Rhymes With: HELLO, JELLO, FELLOW
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 #1696 is: CELLO
Word DNA: Breaking Down Today's Answer
CELLO noun. A large stringed instrument of the violin family, held between the knees and played with a bow.
Origins: Short for violoncello, from Italian "violoncello" meaning "little violone," which itself comes from "violone" (large viol) and the diminutive suffix "-cello."
Word Family: cellist, cellos
Fun Fact: The cello is known as the instrument that most closely resembles the human voice in its range and tone, and it has appeared in Wordle only once before, making today's puzzle a rare musical treat.
The Streak Saver Rating
Difficulty: 3 / 5
Trap Factor: MEDIUM. The double L creates pattern recognition challenges, and musical instrument words aren't the most common category.
Average Solve: 3.8 guesses (estimate based on difficulty)
CELLO presents a medium challenge with its double consonant pattern. While all letters are common, the repeated L can confuse elimination strategies. Players who recognize the musical instrument category early will have an advantage, but those stuck on common word patterns might burn guesses testing single-L variations.
What This Puzzle Teaches
Double letters require systematic testing - when you get a yellow L, don't assume it's a single occurrence. Try it in multiple positions and consider the possibility of repetition, especially with common consonants like L, S, and T.
Category recognition accelerates solving. Once you identify this as a musical instrument (from vowel patterns and letter combinations), you can narrow the field dramatically. Musical terms often follow specific consonant-vowel structures that become predictable.
Tomorrow's Reset
Puzzle #1697 drops at midnight in your timezone. Did today's CELLO 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.
