Wordle #43 Answer – August 1, 2021

This page covers Wordle puzzle #43, played on Sunday, August 1, 2021. 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 #43

Hint 1: How many vowels?

The answer has 2 vowels (A, E, I, O, U).

Hint 2: First letter

It starts with the letter R.

Hint 3: Last letter

It ends with the letter Y.

Hint 4: Repeated letters?

No, all five letters are different.

Hint 5: Meaning

verb — To pay back.

Wordle #43 Answer

The answer to Wordle #43 on August 1, 2021 was:

REPAY

REPAY has been the Wordle answer only once so far.

What Does REPAY Mean?

Repay (verb): To pay back.

Example: “I finally repaid my student loans, just before sending my kids to college.”

How Hard Was Wordle #43?

3.9/10Medium
19%harder than this share of all 1,962 Wordles
2look-alike answers
  • 2 vowels, which a typical starting word uncovers quickly.
  • Five different letters, which suits most guessing strategies.
  • Less common letters (Y) that starting words rarely test.
  • A few look-alike answers share four of its five letter spots.

Look-alike answers: RELAY, REPLY.

How Popular Starting Words Did Against REPAY

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
SLATESLATE49
CRANECRANE38
TRACETRACE29
STARESTARE36
RAISERAISE10
AUDIOAUDIO355

On this puzzle, RAISE was the most useful opener, leaving 10 possible answers. Read our guide to the best starting words →

How to Solve Wordle #43 Step by Step

Here is one efficient way to reach REPAY. 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. SLATESLATE54
2. AMBERAMBER7
3. CREAKCREAK1
4. REPAYREPAYSolved

Solved in 4 guesses. After SLATE, 54 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 REPAY

PositionLetterAppears in (all answers)In this exact spot
1stR36.2%4.2%
2ndE47.1%10.6%
3rdP14.6%2.4%
4thA39.6%7%
5thY16.5%14.3%

On This Day in Wordle: August 1

Answers from the same date in other years:

YearPuzzleAnswer
2026#1869SLUSH
2025#1504BANJO
2024#1139CHALK
2023#773TENTH
2022#408QUART

Wordle #43 FAQ

What was the Wordle answer on August 1, 2021?

The answer to Wordle #43 on August 1, 2021 was REPAY.

Was Wordle #43 hard?

We rate it 3.9 out of 10 (Medium), harder than about 19% of all Wordle puzzles.

What was the best starting word for Wordle #43?

Of the popular openers, RAISE did best, leaving 10 possible answers after the first guess.