Wordle #12 Answer – July 1, 2021

This page covers Wordle puzzle #12, played on Thursday, July 1, 2021. 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 #12

Hint 1: How many vowels?

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

Hint 2: First letter

It starts with the letter M.

Hint 3: Last letter

It ends with the letter L.

Hint 4: Repeated letters?

No, all five letters are different.

Hint 5: Meaning

noun — A person who serves as a subject for artwork or fashion, usually in the medium of photography but also for painting or drawing.

Wordle #12 Answer

The answer to Wordle #12 on July 1, 2021 was:

MODEL

MODEL has been the Wordle answer only once so far.

What Does MODEL Mean?

Model (noun): A person who serves as a subject for artwork or fashion, usually in the medium of photography but also for painting or drawing.

Example: “The beautiful model had her face on the cover of almost every fashion magazine imaginable.”

How Hard Was Wordle #12?

4.1/10Medium
25%harder than this share of all 1,961 Wordles
4look-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.
  • 4 look-alike answers share four of its five letter spots, which can turn the last guesses into a coin flip.

Look-alike answers: MODEM, MODAL, MOTEL, YODEL.

How Popular Starting Words Did Against MODEL

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
SLATESLATE58
CRANECRANE112
TRACETRACE105
STARESTARE102
RAISERAISE105
AUDIOAUDIO12

On this puzzle, AUDIO was the most useful opener, leaving 12 possible answers. Read our guide to the best starting words →

How to Solve Wordle #12 Step by Step

Here is one efficient way to reach MODEL. 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. SLATESLATE61
2. LEVELLEVEL8
3. MODELMODELSolved

Solved in 3 guesses. After SLATE, 61 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 MODEL

PositionLetterAppears in (all answers)In this exact spot
1stM13%4.9%
2ndO30%12.6%
3rdD16.2%3.3%
4thE47.1%13.2%
5thL28%7.1%

On This Day in Wordle: July 1

Answers from the same date in other years:

YearPuzzleAnswer
2026#1838DEMUR
2025#1473MOLDY
2024#1108ADAGE
2023#742BLEEP
2022#377PINTO

Wordle #12 FAQ

What was the Wordle answer on July 1, 2021?

The answer to Wordle #12 on July 1, 2021 was MODEL.

Was Wordle #12 hard?

We rate it 4.1 out of 10 (Medium), harder than about 25% of all Wordle puzzles.

What was the best starting word for Wordle #12?

Of the popular openers, AUDIO did best, leaving 12 possible answers after the first guess.