Wordle #331 Answer – May 16, 2022
This page covers Wordle puzzle #331, played on Monday, May 16, 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 #331
Hint 1: How many vowels?
The answer has 2 vowels (A, E, I, O, U).
Hint 2: First letter
It starts with the letter D.
Hint 3: Last letter
It ends with the letter E.
Hint 4: Repeated letters?
Yes, one letter appears more than once.
Hint 5: Meaning
verb — To dig the ground, especially with a shovel.
Wordle #331 Answer
The answer to Wordle #331 on May 16, 2022 was:
DELVE
DELVE has been the Wordle answer only once so far.
What Does DELVE Mean?
Delve (verb): To dig the ground, especially with a shovel.
How Hard Was Wordle #331?
5.1/10Medium-Hard
52%harder than this share of all 1,962 Wordles
0look-alike answers
- 2 vowels, which a typical starting word uncovers quickly.
- A repeated letter, which most players do not test until late.
- Less common letters (V) 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 DELVE
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 | 16 |
| CRANE | CRANE | 89 |
| TRACE | TRACE | 94 |
| STARE | STARE | 79 |
| RAISE | RAISE | 54 |
| AUDIO | AUDIO | 27 |
On this puzzle, SLATE was the most useful opener, leaving 16 possible answers. Read our guide to the best starting words →
How to Solve Wordle #331 Step by Step
Here is one efficient way to reach DELVE. 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 | 19 |
| 2. BILGE | BILGE | 2 |
| 3. DELVE | DELVE | Solved |
Solved in 3 guesses. After SLATE, 19 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 DELVE
| Position | Letter | Appears in (all answers) | In this exact spot |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | D | 16.2% | 4.7% |
| 2nd | E | 47.1% | 10.6% |
| 3rd | L | 28% | 4.4% |
| 4th | V | 6.7% | 2.1% |
| 5th | E | 47.1% | 19.7% |
On This Day in Wordle: May 16
Answers from the same date in other years:
Wordle #331 FAQ
What was the Wordle answer on May 16, 2022?
The answer to Wordle #331 on May 16, 2022 was DELVE.
Was Wordle #331 hard?
We rate it 5.1 out of 10 (Medium-Hard), harder than about 52% of all Wordle puzzles.
What was the best starting word for Wordle #331?
Of the popular openers, SLATE did best, leaving 16 possible answers after the first guess.