Wordle #209 Answer – January 14, 2022
This page covers Wordle puzzle #209, played on Friday, January 14, 2022. 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 #209
Hint 1: How many vowels?
The answer has 1 vowel (A, E, I, O, U).
Hint 2: First letter
It starts with the letter T.
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 a sharp, pungent flavor
Wordle #209 Answer
The answer to Wordle #209 on January 14, 2022 was:
TANGY
TANGY has been the Wordle answer only once so far.
What Does TANGY Mean?
Tangy (adjective): Having a sharp, pungent flavor
How Hard Was Wordle #209?
6.0/10Medium-Hard
71%harder than this share of all 1,963 Wordles
0look-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.
- 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 TANGY
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 | 45 |
| CRANE | CRANE | 34 |
| TRACE | TRACE | 15 |
| STARE | STARE | 59 |
| RAISE | RAISE | 75 |
| AUDIO | AUDIO | 355 |
On this puzzle, TRACE was the most useful opener, leaving 15 possible answers. Read our guide to the best starting words →
How to Solve Wordle #209 Step by Step
Here is one efficient way to reach TANGY. 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 | 49 |
| 2. TACIT | TACIT | 7 |
| 3. TANGO | TANGO | 1 |
| 4. TANGY | TANGY | Solved |
Solved in 4 guesses. After SLATE, 49 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 TANGY
| Position | Letter | Appears in (all answers) | In this exact spot |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | T | 29.6% | 6.6% |
| 2nd | A | 39.6% | 12.4% |
| 3rd | N | 24% | 5.7% |
| 4th | G | 13% | 3.4% |
| 5th | Y | 16.5% | 14.3% |
On This Day in Wordle: January 14
Answers from the same date in other years:
Wordle #209 FAQ
What was the Wordle answer on January 14, 2022?
The answer to Wordle #209 on January 14, 2022 was TANGY.
Was Wordle #209 hard?
We rate it 6.0 out of 10 (Medium-Hard), harder than about 71% of all Wordle puzzles.
What was the best starting word for Wordle #209?
Of the popular openers, TRACE did best, leaving 15 possible answers after the first guess.