Wordle #176 Answer – December 12, 2021
This page covers Wordle puzzle #176, played on Sunday, December 12, 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 #176
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 E.
Hint 4: Repeated letters?
Yes, one letter appears more than once.
Wordle #176 Answer
The answer to Wordle #176 on December 12, 2021 was:
MASSE
MASSE has been the Wordle answer only once so far.
How Hard Was Wordle #176?
4.9/10Medium
47%harder than this share of all 1,963 Wordles
0look-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.
- No other answers share four of its five letter spots, so it falls fast once the letters are found.
How Popular Starting Words Did Against MASSE
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 | 43 |
| TRACE | TRACE | 37 |
| STARE | STARE | 8 |
| RAISE | RAISE | 5 |
| AUDIO | AUDIO | 355 |
On this puzzle, RAISE was the most useful opener, leaving 5 possible answers. Read our guide to the best starting words →
How to Solve Wordle #176 Step by Step
Here is one efficient way to reach MASSE. 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 | 9 |
| 2. AMUSE | AMUSE | 1 |
| 3. MASSE | MASSE | Solved |
Solved in 3 guesses. After SLATE, 9 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 MASSE
| Position | Letter | Appears in (all answers) | In this exact spot |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | M | 13% | 4.9% |
| 2nd | A | 39.6% | 12.4% |
| 3rd | S | 25.8% | 3.1% |
| 4th | S | 25.8% | 7.5% |
| 5th | E | 47.1% | 19.6% |
On This Day in Wordle: December 12
Answers from the same date in other years:
Wordle #176 FAQ
What was the Wordle answer on December 12, 2021?
The answer to Wordle #176 on December 12, 2021 was MASSE.
Was Wordle #176 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 #176?
Of the popular openers, RAISE did best, leaving 5 possible answers after the first guess.