If today’s Wordle felt a little “stuck on the starting line,” you’re not alone. The word itself is short, familiar, and still manages to trip people up—especially when you’re trying to narrow it down by first and last letters. Luckily, we’ve got just enough structure to steer you toward the answer without wasting too many guesses.
Hints
Here’s what today’s target word gives away:
1) Repeats: There are no repeated letters in the answer. Once you lock one letter in, you can be fairly confident it won’t show up again.
2) Vowels: There’s exactly one vowel, and it’s a vowel that sometimes behaves like a vowel depending on how you pronounce things (think of the “vowel” role more than the spelling alone).
3) First letter: The word begins with D.
4) Last letter: It ends with Y.
5) Meaning: The definition points to something that’s been coated with dust.
If you’re also juggling other daily puzzles, today’s NYT offerings tend to reward the same kind of pattern-thinking—tight constraints, then quick verification. For more puzzle-solving help across the network, you can keep an eye on Connections clues alongside your Wordle rhythm.
Answers
Wordle answer (today): DUSTY
Yesterday’s Wordle answer: LOATH (May 18, No. 1794)
Recent Wordle answers:
May 14, No. 1790: WAVER
May 15, No. 1791: CREED
May 16, No. 1792: MOVER
May 17, No. 1793: BYLAW
One quick strategy that makes words like this easier: when you get both the first and last letters (D _ _ _ Y), treat that as a filter for meaning immediately. In this case, the dust-related definition practically lines up the remaining letters for you, and the “no repeats” hint keeps you from second-guessing common near-misses.
