Wordle #541 Answer – December 12, 2022
This page covers Wordle puzzle #541, played on Monday, December 12, 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 #541
Hint 1: How many vowels?
The answer has 1 vowel (A, E, I, O, U).
Hint 2: First letter
It starts with the letter A.
Hint 3: Last letter
It ends with the letter Y.
Hint 4: Repeated letters?
Yes, one letter appears more than once.
Hint 5: Meaning
verb — To lay or place; to put (one thing to another)
Wordle #541 Answer
The answer to Wordle #541 on December 12, 2022 was:
APPLY
APPLY has been the Wordle answer only once so far.
What Does APPLY Mean?
Apply (verb): To lay or place; to put (one thing to another)
Example: “to apply cream to a rash”
How Hard Was Wordle #541?
8.4/10Hard
96%harder than this share of all 1,961 Wordles
3look-alike answers
- Only 1 vowel, so the vowel pattern is hard to find early.
- A repeated letter, which most players do not test until late.
- Less common letters (Y) that starting words rarely test.
- 3 look-alike answers share four of its five letter spots, which can turn the last guesses into a coin flip.
Look-alike answers: APTLY, APPLE, AMPLY.
How Popular Starting Words Did Against APPLY
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 | 46 |
| CRANE | CRANE | 114 |
| TRACE | TRACE | 103 |
| STARE | STARE | 105 |
| RAISE | RAISE | 80 |
| AUDIO | AUDIO | 44 |
On this puzzle, AUDIO was the most useful opener, leaving 44 possible answers. Read our guide to the best starting words →
How to Solve Wordle #541 Step by Step
Here is one efficient way to reach APPLY. 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 | 52 |
| 2. RALLY | RALLY | 2 |
| 3. AMPLY | AMPLY | 1 |
| 4. APPLY | APPLY | Solved |
Solved in 4 guesses. After SLATE, 52 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 APPLY
| Position | Letter | Appears in (all answers) | In this exact spot |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | A | 39.6% | 6.3% |
| 2nd | P | 14.6% | 2.5% |
| 3rd | P | 14.6% | 2.3% |
| 4th | L | 28% | 6.9% |
| 5th | Y | 16.5% | 14.3% |
On This Day in Wordle: December 12
Answers from the same date in other years:
Wordle #541 FAQ
What was the Wordle answer on December 12, 2022?
The answer to Wordle #541 on December 12, 2022 was APPLY.
Was Wordle #541 hard?
We rate it 8.4 out of 10 (Hard), harder than about 96% of all Wordle puzzles.
What was the best starting word for Wordle #541?
Of the popular openers, AUDIO did best, leaving 44 possible answers after the first guess.