Wordle #498 Answer – October 30, 2022
This page covers Wordle puzzle #498, played on Sunday, October 30, 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 #498
Hint 1: How many vowels?
The answer has 1 vowel (A, E, I, O, U).
Hint 2: First letter
It starts with the letter W.
Hint 3: Last letter
It ends with the letter Z.
Hint 4: Repeated letters?
No, all five letters are different.
Hint 5: Meaning
noun — A ballroom dance in 3/4 time.
Wordle #498 Answer
The answer to Wordle #498 on October 30, 2022 was:
WALTZ
WALTZ has been the Wordle answer only once so far.
What Does WALTZ Mean?
Waltz (noun): A ballroom dance in 3/4 time.
How Hard Was Wordle #498?
6.6/10Hard
82%harder than this share of all 1,963 Wordles
0look-alike answers
- Only 1 vowel, so the vowel pattern is hard to find early.
- Five different letters, which suits most guessing strategies.
- Less common letters (W, Z) 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 WALTZ
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 | 1 |
| CRANE | CRANE | 114 |
| TRACE | TRACE | 45 |
| STARE | STARE | 59 |
| RAISE | RAISE | 75 |
| AUDIO | AUDIO | 355 |
On this puzzle, SLATE was the most useful opener, leaving 1 possible answer. Read our guide to the best starting words →
How to Solve Wordle #498 Step by Step
Here is one efficient way to reach WALTZ. 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 | 1 |
| 2. WALTZ | WALTZ | Solved |
Solved in 2 guesses. After SLATE, 1 everyday word still fit. Try your own guesses in our Wordle solver to see which words were left at each step.
Letter-by-Letter Breakdown of WALTZ
| Position | Letter | Appears in (all answers) | In this exact spot |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | W | 8.3% | 3.5% |
| 2nd | A | 39.6% | 12.4% |
| 3rd | L | 28% | 4.4% |
| 4th | T | 29.6% | 5.9% |
| 5th | Z | 1.6% | 0.2% |
On This Day in Wordle: October 30
Answers from the same date in other years:
Wordle #498 FAQ
What was the Wordle answer on October 30, 2022?
The answer to Wordle #498 on October 30, 2022 was WALTZ.
Was Wordle #498 hard?
We rate it 6.6 out of 10 (Hard), harder than about 82% of all Wordle puzzles.
What was the best starting word for Wordle #498?
Of the popular openers, SLATE did best, leaving 1 possible answer after the first guess.