Wordle #788 Answer – August 16, 2023
This page covers Wordle puzzle #788, played on Wednesday, August 16, 2023. 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 #788
Hint 1: How many vowels?
The answer has 1 vowel (A, E, I, O, U).
Hint 2: First letter
It starts with the letter S.
Hint 3: Last letter
It ends with the letter B.
Hint 4: Repeated letters?
No, all five letters are different.
Hint 5: Meaning
noun — One who labors hard and lives meanly; a mean fellow.
Wordle #788 Answer
The answer to Wordle #788 on August 16, 2023 was:
SCRUB
SCRUB has been the Wordle answer only once so far.
What Does SCRUB Mean?
Scrub (noun): One who labors hard and lives meanly; a mean fellow.
How Hard Was Wordle #788?
6.4/10Medium-Hard
79%harder than this share of all 1,962 Wordles
2look-alike answers
- Only 1 vowel, so the vowel pattern is hard to find early.
- Five different letters, which suits most guessing strategies.
- Only common letters, with nothing unusual to find.
- A few look-alike answers share four of its five letter spots.
Look-alike answers: SHRUB, SCRUM.
How Popular Starting Words Did Against SCRUB
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 | 43 |
| CRANE | CRANE | 9 |
| TRACE | TRACE | 16 |
| STARE | STARE | 8 |
| RAISE | RAISE | 22 |
| AUDIO | AUDIO | 88 |
On this puzzle, STARE was the most useful opener, leaving 8 possible answers. Read our guide to the best starting words →
How to Solve Wordle #788 Step by Step
Here is one efficient way to reach SCRUB. 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 | 55 |
| 2. SCION | SCION | 2 |
| 3. SCRUB | SCRUB | Solved |
Solved in 3 guesses. After SLATE, 55 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 SCRUB
| Position | Letter | Appears in (all answers) | In this exact spot |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | S | 25.8% | 14.8% |
| 2nd | C | 19.1% | 1.6% |
| 3rd | R | 36.2% | 7.1% |
| 4th | U | 19.5% | 3.4% |
| 5th | B | 11.5% | 0.5% |
On This Day in Wordle: August 16
Answers from the same date in other years:
Wordle #788 FAQ
What was the Wordle answer on August 16, 2023?
The answer to Wordle #788 on August 16, 2023 was SCRUB.
Was Wordle #788 hard?
We rate it 6.4 out of 10 (Medium-Hard), harder than about 79% of all Wordle puzzles.
What was the best starting word for Wordle #788?
Of the popular openers, STARE did best, leaving 8 possible answers after the first guess.