Wordle #240 Answer – February 14, 2022
This page covers Wordle puzzle #240, played on Monday, February 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 #240
Hint 1: How many vowels?
The answer has 1 vowel (A, E, I, O, U).
Hint 2: First letter
It starts with the letter C.
Hint 3: Last letter
It ends with the letter C.
Hint 4: Repeated letters?
Yes, one letter appears more than once.
Hint 5: Meaning
noun — A person who believes that all people are motivated by selfishness.
Wordle #240 Answer
The answer to Wordle #240 on February 14, 2022 was:
CYNIC
CYNIC has been the Wordle answer only once so far.
What Does CYNIC Mean?
Cynic (noun): A person who believes that all people are motivated by selfishness.
How Hard Was Wordle #240?
8.1/10Hard
96%harder than this share of all 1,963 Wordles
1look-alike answers
- Only 1 vowel, so the vowel pattern is hard to find early.
- A repeated letter, which most players do not test until late.
- Less common letters (Y) that starting words rarely test.
- A few look-alike answers share four of its five letter spots.
Look-alike answers: CONIC.
How Popular Starting Words Did Against CYNIC
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 | 179 |
| CRANE | CRANE | 8 |
| TRACE | TRACE | 43 |
| STARE | STARE | 186 |
| RAISE | RAISE | 78 |
| AUDIO | AUDIO | 28 |
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 #240 Step by Step
Here is one efficient way to reach CYNIC. 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 | 214 |
| 2. IRONY | IRONY | 1 |
| 3. CYNIC | CYNIC | Solved |
Solved in 3 guesses. After SLATE, 214 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 CYNIC
| Position | Letter | Appears in (all answers) | In this exact spot |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | C | 19.2% | 8.6% |
| 2nd | Y | 16.5% | 0.7% |
| 3rd | N | 24% | 5.7% |
| 4th | I | 27.8% | 7.5% |
| 5th | C | 19.2% | 1.4% |
On This Day in Wordle: February 14
Answers from the same date in other years:
Wordle #240 FAQ
What was the Wordle answer on February 14, 2022?
The answer to Wordle #240 on February 14, 2022 was CYNIC.
Was Wordle #240 hard?
We rate it 8.1 out of 10 (Hard), harder than about 96% of all Wordle puzzles.
What was the best starting word for Wordle #240?
Of the popular openers, CRANE did best, leaving 8 possible answers after the first guess.