Wordle #389 Answer – July 13, 2022

This page covers Wordle puzzle #389, played on Wednesday, July 13, 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 #389

Hint 1: How many vowels?

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

Hint 2: First letter

It starts with the letter B.

Hint 3: Last letter

It ends with the letter D.

Hint 4: Repeated letters?

No, all five letters are different.

Hint 5: Meaning

adjective — Having a soothing effect; not irritating or stimulating.

Wordle #389 Answer

The answer to Wordle #389 on July 13, 2022 was:

BLAND

BLAND has been the Wordle answer only once so far.

What Does BLAND Mean?

Bland (adjective): Having a soothing effect; not irritating or stimulating.

Example: “a bland diet”

How Hard Was Wordle #389?

6.0/10Medium-Hard
71%harder than this share of all 1,963 Wordles
6look-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.
  • 6 look-alike answers share four of its five letter spots, which can turn the last guesses into a coin flip.

Look-alike answers: BLOND, GLAND, BRAND, BLANK, BLEND, BLIND.

How Popular Starting Words Did Against BLAND

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
SLATESLATE17
CRANECRANE15
TRACETRACE43
STARESTARE33
RAISERAISE80
AUDIOAUDIO49

On this puzzle, CRANE was the most useful opener, leaving 15 possible answers. Read our guide to the best starting words →

How to Solve Wordle #389 Step by Step

Here is one efficient way to reach BLAND. 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. SLATESLATE18
2. PLANKPLANK3
3. BLANDBLANDSolved

Solved in 3 guesses. After SLATE, 18 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 BLAND

PositionLetterAppears in (all answers)In this exact spot
1stB11.5%7.5%
2ndL28%8.7%
3rdA39.6%14.1%
4thN24%7.8%
5thD16.2%5%

On This Day in Wordle: July 13

Answers from the same date in other years:

YearPuzzleAnswer
2026#1850STOUT
2025#1485GNOME
2024#1120ENACT
2023#754BARGE
2021#24STOOL

Wordle #389 FAQ

What was the Wordle answer on July 13, 2022?

The answer to Wordle #389 on July 13, 2022 was BLAND.

Was Wordle #389 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 #389?

Of the popular openers, CRANE did best, leaving 15 possible answers after the first guess.