Wordle #1488 Answer – July 16, 2025
This page covers Wordle puzzle #1488, played on Wednesday, July 16, 2025. 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 #1488
Hint 1: How many vowels?
The answer has 1 vowel (A, E, I, O, U).
Hint 2: First letter
It starts with the letter N.
Hint 3: Last letter
It ends with the letter Y.
Hint 4: Repeated letters?
No, all five letters are different.
Hint 5: Meaning
adjective — Having nerve; bold; brazen.
Wordle #1488 Answer
The answer to Wordle #1488 on July 16, 2025 was:
NERVY
NERVY has been the Wordle answer only once so far.
What Does NERVY Mean?
Nervy (adjective): Having nerve; bold; brazen.
How Hard Was Wordle #1488?
5.5/10Medium-Hard
61%harder than this share of all 1,963 Wordles
2look-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 (V, Y) that starting words rarely test.
- A few look-alike answers share four of its five letter spots.
Look-alike answers: NERDY, NERVE.
How Popular Starting Words Did Against NERVY
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 | 138 |
| CRANE | CRANE | 24 |
| TRACE | TRACE | 95 |
| STARE | STARE | 97 |
| RAISE | RAISE | 89 |
| AUDIO | AUDIO | 147 |
On this puzzle, CRANE was the most useful opener, leaving 24 possible answers. Read our guide to the best starting words →
How to Solve Wordle #1488 Step by Step
Here is one efficient way to reach NERVY. 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 | 157 |
| 2. DECOR | DECOR | 10 |
| 3. RERUN | RERUN | 1 |
| 4. NERVY | NERVY | Solved |
Solved in 4 guesses. After SLATE, 157 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 NERVY
| Position | Letter | Appears in (all answers) | In this exact spot |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | N | 24% | 1.8% |
| 2nd | E | 47.1% | 10.6% |
| 3rd | R | 36.1% | 7.1% |
| 4th | V | 6.7% | 2.1% |
| 5th | Y | 16.5% | 14.3% |
On This Day in Wordle: July 16
Answers from the same date in other years:
Wordle #1488 FAQ
What was the Wordle answer on July 16, 2025?
The answer to Wordle #1488 on July 16, 2025 was NERVY.
Was Wordle #1488 hard?
We rate it 5.5 out of 10 (Medium-Hard), harder than about 61% of all Wordle puzzles.
What was the best starting word for Wordle #1488?
Of the popular openers, CRANE did best, leaving 24 possible answers after the first guess.