Wordle #185 Answer – December 21, 2021
This page covers Wordle puzzle #185, played on Tuesday, December 21, 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 #185
Hint 1: How many vowels?
The answer has 1 vowel (A, E, I, O, U).
Hint 2: First letter
It starts with the letter P.
Hint 3: Last letter
It ends with the letter K.
Hint 4: Repeated letters?
No, all five letters are different.
Hint 5: Meaning
noun — An instance of ….
Wordle #185 Answer
The answer to Wordle #185 on December 21, 2021 was:
PLUCK
PLUCK has been the Wordle answer only once so far.
What Does PLUCK Mean?
Pluck (noun): An instance of plucking.
Example: “Those tiny birds are hardly worth the tedious pluck.”
How Hard Was Wordle #185?
7.5/10Hard
92%harder than this share of all 1,962 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 (K) that starting words rarely test.
- A few look-alike answers share four of its five letter spots.
Look-alike answers: CLUCK, PLUNK.
How Popular Starting Words Did Against PLUCK
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 | 39 |
| CRANE | CRANE | 43 |
| TRACE | TRACE | 30 |
| STARE | STARE | 186 |
| RAISE | RAISE | 144 |
| AUDIO | AUDIO | 88 |
On this puzzle, TRACE was the most useful opener, leaving 30 possible answers. Read our guide to the best starting words →
How to Solve Wordle #185 Step by Step
Here is one efficient way to reach PLUCK. 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 | 40 |
| 2. FLUNK | FLUNK | 2 |
| 3. CLUCK | CLUCK | 1 |
| 4. PLUCK | PLUCK | Solved |
Solved in 4 guesses. After SLATE, 40 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 PLUCK
| Position | Letter | Appears in (all answers) | In this exact spot |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | P | 14.6% | 6.1% |
| 2nd | L | 28% | 8.7% |
| 3rd | U | 19.5% | 7.1% |
| 4th | C | 19.1% | 6.3% |
| 5th | K | 8.6% | 4.5% |
On This Day in Wordle: December 21
Answers from the same date in other years:
Wordle #185 FAQ
What was the Wordle answer on December 21, 2021?
The answer to Wordle #185 on December 21, 2021 was PLUCK.
Was Wordle #185 hard?
We rate it 7.5 out of 10 (Hard), harder than about 92% of all Wordle puzzles.
What was the best starting word for Wordle #185?
Of the popular openers, TRACE did best, leaving 30 possible answers after the first guess.