Wordle #472 Answer – October 4, 2022

This page covers Wordle puzzle #472, played on Tuesday, October 4, 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 #472

Hint 1: How many vowels?

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

Hint 2: First letter

It starts with the letter B.

Hint 3: Last letter

It ends with the letter H.

Hint 4: Repeated letters?

No, all five letters are different.

Hint 5: Meaning

noun — A firm branch of a tree.

Wordle #472 Answer

The answer to Wordle #472 on October 4, 2022 was:

BOUGH

BOUGH has been the Wordle answer only once so far.

What Does BOUGH Mean?

Bough (noun): A firm branch of a tree.

Example: “When the bough breaks, the cradle will fall.”

How Hard Was Wordle #472?

6.7/10Hard
85%harder than this share of all 1,962 Wordles
3look-alike answers
  • 2 vowels, which a typical starting word uncovers quickly.
  • 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: TOUGH, ROUGH, DOUGH.

How Popular Starting Words Did Against BOUGH

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
SLATESLATE179
CRANECRANE196
TRACETRACE186
STARESTARE186
RAISERAISE144
AUDIOAUDIO46

On this puzzle, AUDIO was the most useful opener, leaving 46 possible answers. Read our guide to the best starting words →

How to Solve Wordle #472 Step by Step

Here is one efficient way to reach BOUGH. 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. SLATESLATE214
2. IRONYIRONY10
3. COUGHCOUGH2
4. BOUGHBOUGHSolved

Solved in 4 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 BOUGH

PositionLetterAppears in (all answers)In this exact spot
1stB11.5%7.5%
2ndO30%12.6%
3rdU19.5%7.1%
4thG13%3.4%
5thH16.9%6%

On This Day in Wordle: October 4

Answers from the same date in other years:

YearPuzzleAnswer
2026#1933SHACK
2025#1568RELAY
2024#1203TITLE
2023#837SPURT
2021#107SPEND

Wordle #472 FAQ

What was the Wordle answer on October 4, 2022?

The answer to Wordle #472 on October 4, 2022 was BOUGH.

Was Wordle #472 hard?

We rate it 6.7 out of 10 (Hard), harder than about 85% of all Wordle puzzles.

What was the best starting word for Wordle #472?

Of the popular openers, AUDIO did best, leaving 46 possible answers after the first guess.