Wordle #497 Answer – October 29, 2022
This page covers Wordle puzzle #497, played on Saturday, October 29, 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 #497
Hint 1: How many vowels?
The answer has 2 vowels (A, E, I, O, U).
Hint 2: First letter
It starts with the letter L.
Hint 3: Last letter
It ends with the letter L.
Hint 4: Repeated letters?
Yes, one letter appears more than once.
Hint 5: Meaning
noun — A written or pictorial false statement which unjustly seeks to damage someone's reputation.
Wordle #497 Answer
The answer to Wordle #497 on October 29, 2022 was:
LIBEL
LIBEL has been the Wordle answer only once so far.
What Does LIBEL Mean?
Libel (noun): A written or pictorial false statement which unjustly seeks to damage someone's reputation.
How Hard Was Wordle #497?
5.4/10Medium-Hard
58%harder than this share of all 1,963 Wordles
1look-alike answers
- 2 vowels, which a typical starting word uncovers quickly.
- A repeated letter, which most players do not test until late.
- Only common letters, with nothing unusual to find.
- A few look-alike answers share four of its five letter spots.
Look-alike answers: LABEL.
How Popular Starting Words Did Against LIBEL
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 | 58 |
| CRANE | CRANE | 112 |
| TRACE | TRACE | 105 |
| STARE | STARE | 102 |
| RAISE | RAISE | 38 |
| AUDIO | AUDIO | 221 |
On this puzzle, RAISE was the most useful opener, leaving 38 possible answers. Read our guide to the best starting words →
How to Solve Wordle #497 Step by Step
Here is one efficient way to reach LIBEL. 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 | 61 |
| 2. LEVEL | LEVEL | 1 |
| 3. LIBEL | LIBEL | Solved |
Solved in 3 guesses. After SLATE, 61 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 LIBEL
| Position | Letter | Appears in (all answers) | In this exact spot |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | L | 28% | 4.1% |
| 2nd | I | 27.8% | 8.3% |
| 3rd | B | 11.5% | 2.3% |
| 4th | E | 47.1% | 13.2% |
| 5th | L | 28% | 7.1% |
On This Day in Wordle: October 29
Answers from the same date in other years:
Wordle #497 FAQ
What was the Wordle answer on October 29, 2022?
The answer to Wordle #497 on October 29, 2022 was LIBEL.
Was Wordle #497 hard?
We rate it 5.4 out of 10 (Medium-Hard), harder than about 58% of all Wordle puzzles.
What was the best starting word for Wordle #497?
Of the popular openers, RAISE did best, leaving 38 possible answers after the first guess.