Wordle #1003 Answer – March 18, 2024

This page covers Wordle puzzle #1003, played on Monday, March 18, 2024. If you are playing it in the NYT Wordle archive, start with the hints. The answer comes after them, along with what the word means, how hard it was, and how the most popular starting words would have done.

Hints for Wordle #1003

Hint 1: How many vowels?

The answer has 1 vowel (A, E, I, O, U).

Hint 2: First letter

It starts with the letter S.

Hint 3: Last letter

It ends with the letter T.

Hint 4: Repeated letters?

No, all five letters are different.

Hint 5: Meaning

verb — To read (something) as though letter by letter; to peruse slowly or with effort.

Wordle #1003 Answer

The answer to Wordle #1003 on March 18, 2024 was:

SPELT

SPELT has been the Wordle answer only once so far.

What Does SPELT Mean?

Spelt (verb): To read (something) as though letter by letter; to peruse slowly or with effort.

How Hard Was Wordle #1003?

4.4/10Medium
36%harder than this share of all 1,963 Wordles
3look-alike answers
  • Only 1 vowel, so the vowel pattern is hard to find early.
  • Five different letters, which suits most guessing strategies.
  • Only common letters, with nothing unusual to find.
  • 3 look-alike answers share four of its five letter spots, which can turn the last guesses into a coin flip.

Look-alike answers: SMELT, SPELL, SPENT.

How Popular Starting Words Did Against SPELT

Here is the color feedback each well-known opener would have given on this puzzle, and how many past Wordle answers would still fit after that one guess. Fewer is better.

OpenerFeedbackAnswers left
SLATESLATE3
CRANECRANE112
TRACETRACE49
STARESTARE6
RAISERAISE30
AUDIOAUDIO147

On this puzzle, SLATE was the most useful opener, leaving 3 possible answers. Read our guide to the best starting words →

How to Solve Wordle #1003 Step by Step

Here is one efficient way to reach SPELT. We open with SLATE, then each next guess is the word, from those still possible, that leaves the fewest options on average. Every guess fits all the clues so far, so this path is also legal in Hard Mode.

GuessFeedbackWords still possible
1. SLATESLATE3
2. SMELTSMELT1
3. SPELTSPELTSolved

Solved in 3 guesses. After SLATE, 3 everyday words still fit. Try your own guesses in our Wordle solver to see which words were left at each step.

Letter-by-Letter Breakdown of SPELT

PositionLetterAppears in (all answers)In this exact spot
1stS25.8%14.9%
2ndP14.6%2.5%
3rdE47.1%7.6%
4thL28%6.9%
5thT29.6%11.2%

On This Day in Wordle: March 18

Answers from the same date in other years:

YearPuzzleAnswer
2026#1733AMPLY
2025#1368TIMER
2023#637YACHT
2022#272SAUTE

Wordle #1003 FAQ

What was the Wordle answer on March 18, 2024?

The answer to Wordle #1003 on March 18, 2024 was SPELT.

Was Wordle #1003 hard?

We rate it 4.4 out of 10 (Medium), harder than about 36% of all Wordle puzzles.

What was the best starting word for Wordle #1003?

Of the popular openers, SLATE did best, leaving 3 possible answers after the first guess.