Wordle #229 Answer – February 3, 2022

This page covers Wordle puzzle #229, played on Thursday, February 3, 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 #229

Hint 1: How many vowels?

The answer has 1 vowel (A, E, I, O, U).

Hint 2: First letter

It starts with the letter S.

Hint 3: Last letter

It ends with the letter D.

Hint 4: Repeated letters?

No, all five letters are different.

Hint 5: Meaning

noun — A piece of broken glass or pottery, especially one found in an archaeological dig.

Wordle #229 Answer

The answer to Wordle #229 on February 3, 2022 was:

SHARD

SHARD has been the Wordle answer only once so far.

What Does SHARD Mean?

Shard (noun): A piece of broken glass or pottery, especially one found in an archaeological dig.

How Hard Was Wordle #229?

5.3/10Medium-Hard
57%harder than this share of all 1,961 Wordles
3look-alike answers
  • Only 1 vowel, so the vowel pattern is hard to find early.
  • Five different letters, which suits most guessing strategies.
  • Only common letters, with nothing unusual to find.
  • 3 look-alike answers share four of its five letter spots, which can turn the last guesses into a coin flip.

Look-alike answers: CHARD, SHARP, SHARE.

How Popular Starting Words Did Against SHARD

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.

OpenerFeedbackAnswers left
SLATESLATE15
CRANECRANE20
TRACETRACE14
STARESTARE5
RAISERAISE17
AUDIOAUDIO49

On this puzzle, STARE was the most useful opener, leaving 5 possible answers. Read our guide to the best starting words →

How to Solve Wordle #229 Step by Step

Here is one efficient way to reach SHARD. 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.

GuessFeedbackWords still possible
1. SLATESLATE22
2. SHANKSHANK3
3. SHADYSHADY1
4. SHARDSHARDSolved

Solved in 4 guesses. After SLATE, 22 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 SHARD

PositionLetterAppears in (all answers)In this exact spot
1stS25.8%14.9%
2ndH16.9%6.6%
3rdA39.6%14.1%
4thR36.1%6.6%
5thD16.2%5%

On This Day in Wordle: February 3

Answers from the same date in other years:

YearPuzzleAnswer
2026#1690WEIGH
2025#1325REVUE
2024#959MICRO
2023#594TASTY

Wordle #229 FAQ

What was the Wordle answer on February 3, 2022?

The answer to Wordle #229 on February 3, 2022 was SHARD.

Was Wordle #229 hard?

We rate it 5.3 out of 10 (Medium-Hard), harder than about 57% of all Wordle puzzles.

What was the best starting word for Wordle #229?

Of the popular openers, STARE did best, leaving 5 possible answers after the first guess.