Wordle #821 Answer – September 18, 2023

This page covers Wordle puzzle #821, played on Monday, September 18, 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 #821

Hint 1: How many vowels?

The answer has 1 vowel (A, E, I, O, U).

Hint 2: First letter

It starts with the letter F.

Hint 3: Last letter

It ends with the letter K.

Hint 4: Repeated letters?

No, all five letters are different.

Hint 5: Meaning

noun — Free postage, a right exercised by governments (usually with definite article).

Wordle #821 Answer

The answer to Wordle #821 on September 18, 2023 was:

FRANK

FRANK has been the Wordle answer only once so far.

What Does FRANK Mean?

Frank (noun): Free postage, a right exercised by governments (usually with definite article).

How Hard Was Wordle #821?

6.0/10Medium-Hard
71%harder than this share of all 1,963 Wordles
3look-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 (F, K) 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: CRANK, FLANK, PRANK.

How Popular Starting Words Did Against FRANK

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
SLATESLATE43
CRANECRANE5
TRACETRACE21
STARESTARE24
RAISERAISE65
AUDIOAUDIO355

On this puzzle, CRANE was the most useful opener, leaving 5 possible answers. Read our guide to the best starting words →

How to Solve Wordle #821 Step by Step

Here is one efficient way to reach FRANK. 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. SLATESLATE47
2. DRANKDRANK3
3. CRANKCRANK2
4. FRANKFRANKSolved

Solved in 4 guesses. After SLATE, 47 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 FRANK

PositionLetterAppears in (all answers)In this exact spot
1stF8.8%5.3%
2ndR36.1%11.6%
3rdA39.6%14.1%
4thN24%7.8%
5thK8.6%4.5%

On This Day in Wordle: September 18

Answers from the same date in other years:

YearPuzzleAnswer
2026#1917SNOWY
2025#1552KNIFE
2024#1187FULLY
2022#456STICK
2021#91AUDIT

Wordle #821 FAQ

What was the Wordle answer on September 18, 2023?

The answer to Wordle #821 on September 18, 2023 was FRANK.

Was Wordle #821 hard?

We rate it 6.0 out of 10 (Medium-Hard), harder than about 71% of all Wordle puzzles.

What was the best starting word for Wordle #821?

Of the popular openers, CRANE did best, leaving 5 possible answers after the first guess.