Wordle #1696 Answer – February 9, 2026
This page covers Wordle puzzle #1696, played on Monday, February 9, 2026. 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 #1696
Hint 1: How many vowels?
The answer has 2 vowels (A, E, I, O, U).
Hint 2: First letter
It starts with the letter C.
Hint 3: Last letter
It ends with the letter O.
Hint 4: Repeated letters?
Yes, one letter appears more than once.
Hint 5: Meaning
noun — A large stringed instrument of the violin family with four strings, tuned from lowest to highest C-G-D-A, and played with a bow, also possessing an endpin to support the instrument's weight.
Wordle #1696 Answer
The answer to Wordle #1696 on February 9, 2026 was:
CELLO
CELLO has been the Wordle answer only once so far.
What Does CELLO Mean?
Cello (noun): A large stringed instrument of the violin family with four strings, tuned from lowest to highest C-G-D-A, and played with a bow, also possessing an endpin to support the instrument's weight.
How Hard Was Wordle #1696?
4.9/10Medium
47%harder than this share of all 1,962 Wordles
1look-alike answers
- 2 vowels, which a typical starting word uncovers quickly.
- A repeated letter, which most players do not test until late.
- Only common letters, with nothing unusual to find.
- A few look-alike answers share four of its five letter spots.
Look-alike answers: HELLO.
How Popular Starting Words Did Against CELLO
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 | 58 |
| CRANE | CRANE | 8 |
| TRACE | TRACE | 10 |
| STARE | STARE | 102 |
| RAISE | RAISE | 105 |
| AUDIO | AUDIO | 11 |
On this puzzle, CRANE was the most useful opener, leaving 8 possible answers. Read our guide to the best starting words →
How to Solve Wordle #1696 Step by Step
Here is one efficient way to reach CELLO. 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 | 61 |
| 2. LEVEL | LEVEL | 4 |
| 3. BELLY | BELLY | 2 |
| 4. CELLO | CELLO | Solved |
Solved in 4 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 CELLO
| Position | Letter | Appears in (all answers) | In this exact spot |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | C | 19.1% | 8.6% |
| 2nd | E | 47.1% | 10.6% |
| 3rd | L | 28% | 4.4% |
| 4th | L | 28% | 6.9% |
| 5th | O | 30% | 2.7% |
On This Day in Wordle: February 9
Answers from the same date in other years:
Wordle #1696 FAQ
What was the Wordle answer on February 9, 2026?
The answer to Wordle #1696 on February 9, 2026 was CELLO.
Was Wordle #1696 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 #1696?
Of the popular openers, CRANE did best, leaving 8 possible answers after the first guess.