Wordle #1006 Answer – March 21, 2024

This page covers Wordle puzzle #1006, played on Thursday, March 21, 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 #1006

Hint 1: How many vowels?

The answer has 2 vowels (A, E, I, O, U).

Hint 2: First letter

It starts with the letter S.

Hint 3: Last letter

It ends with the letter E.

Hint 4: Repeated letters?

No, all five letters are different.

Hint 5: Meaning

noun — Darkness where light, particularly sunlight, is blocked.

Wordle #1006 Answer

The answer to Wordle #1006 on March 21, 2024 was:

SHADE

SHADE has been the Wordle answer only once so far.

What Does SHADE Mean?

Shade (noun): Darkness where light, particularly sunlight, is blocked.

Example: “The old oak tree gave shade in the heat of the day.”

How Hard Was Wordle #1006?

3.9/10Medium
19%harder than this share of all 1,963 Wordles
7look-alike answers
  • 2 vowels, which a typical starting word uncovers quickly.
  • Five different letters, which suits most guessing strategies.
  • Only common letters, with nothing unusual to find.
  • 7 look-alike answers share four of its five letter spots, which can turn the last guesses into a coin flip.

Look-alike answers: SHAKE, SHAME, SPADE, SHAVE, SHAPE, SHARE, SHADY.

How Popular Starting Words Did Against SHADE

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
SLATESLATE13
CRANECRANE42
TRACETRACE33
STARESTARE10
RAISERAISE18
AUDIOAUDIO49

On this puzzle, STARE was the most useful opener, leaving 10 possible answers. Read our guide to the best starting words →

How to Solve Wordle #1006 Step by Step

Here is one efficient way to reach SHADE. 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. SLATESLATE13
2. SHAPESHAPE5
3. SHADESHADESolved

Solved in 3 guesses. After SLATE, 13 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 SHADE

PositionLetterAppears in (all answers)In this exact spot
1stS25.8%14.9%
2ndH16.9%6.6%
3rdA39.6%14.1%
4thD16.2%3.2%
5thE47.1%19.6%

On This Day in Wordle: March 21

Answers from the same date in other years:

YearPuzzleAnswer
2026#1736SLICK
2025#1371NUDGE
2023#640TOUGH
2022#275THEIR

Wordle #1006 FAQ

What was the Wordle answer on March 21, 2024?

The answer to Wordle #1006 on March 21, 2024 was SHADE.

Was Wordle #1006 hard?

We rate it 3.9 out of 10 (Medium), harder than about 19% of all Wordle puzzles.

What was the best starting word for Wordle #1006?

Of the popular openers, STARE did best, leaving 10 possible answers after the first guess.