Wordle #1279 Answer – December 19, 2024
This page covers Wordle puzzle #1279, played on Thursday, December 19, 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 #1279
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 Y.
Hint 4: Repeated letters?
No, all five letters are different.
Hint 5: Meaning
noun — Any domestic animal that has no enclosure, or its proper place and company, and wanders at large, or is lost; an estray.
Wordle #1279 Answer
The answer to Wordle #1279 on December 19, 2024 was:
STRAY
STRAY has been the Wordle answer only once so far.
What Does STRAY Mean?
Stray (noun): Any domestic animal that has no enclosure, or its proper place and company, and wanders at large, or is lost; an estray.
How Hard Was Wordle #1279?
4.9/10Medium
47%harder than this share of all 1,962 Wordles
3look-alike answers
- Only 1 vowel, so the vowel pattern is hard to find early.
- Five different letters, which suits most guessing strategies.
- Less common letters (Y) that starting words rarely test.
- 3 look-alike answers share four of its five letter spots, which can turn the last guesses into a coin flip.
Look-alike answers: SPRAY, STRAP, STRAW.
How Popular Starting Words Did Against STRAY
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.
| Opener | Feedback | Answers left |
|---|---|---|
| SLATE | SLATE | 7 |
| CRANE | CRANE | 48 |
| TRACE | TRACE | 11 |
| STARE | STARE | 3 |
| RAISE | RAISE | 17 |
| AUDIO | AUDIO | 355 |
On this puzzle, STARE was the most useful opener, leaving 3 possible answers. Read our guide to the best starting words →
How to Solve Wordle #1279 Step by Step
Here is one efficient way to reach STRAY. 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.
| Guess | Feedback | Words still possible |
|---|---|---|
| 1. SLATE | SLATE | 7 |
| 2. STRAP | STRAP | 2 |
| 3. STRAW | STRAW | 1 |
| 4. STRAY | STRAY | Solved |
Solved in 4 guesses. After SLATE, 7 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 STRAY
| Position | Letter | Appears in (all answers) | In this exact spot |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | S | 25.8% | 14.8% |
| 2nd | T | 29.6% | 3.7% |
| 3rd | R | 36.2% | 7.1% |
| 4th | A | 39.6% | 7% |
| 5th | Y | 16.5% | 14.3% |
On This Day in Wordle: December 19
Answers from the same date in other years:
Wordle #1279 FAQ
What was the Wordle answer on December 19, 2024?
The answer to Wordle #1279 on December 19, 2024 was STRAY.
Was Wordle #1279 hard?
We rate it 4.9 out of 10 (Medium), harder than about 47% of all Wordle puzzles.
What was the best starting word for Wordle #1279?
Of the popular openers, STARE did best, leaving 3 possible answers after the first guess.