Wordle #881 Answer – November 17, 2023
This page covers Wordle puzzle #881, played on Friday, November 17, 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 #881
Hint 1: How many vowels?
The answer has 1 vowel (A, E, I, O, U).
Hint 2: First letter
It starts with the letter T.
Hint 3: Last letter
It ends with the letter Y.
Hint 4: Repeated letters?
No, all five letters are different.
Hint 5: Meaning
noun — A piece of paper given to students who are late to class.
Wordle #881 Answer
The answer to Wordle #881 on November 17, 2023 was:
TARDY
TARDY has been the Wordle answer only once so far.
What Does TARDY Mean?
Tardy (noun): A piece of paper given to students who are late to class.
Example: “The teacher gave her a tardy because she did not come into the classroom until after the bell.”
How Hard Was Wordle #881?
5.3/10Medium-Hard
57%harder than this share of all 1,962 Wordles
1look-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 (Y) that starting words rarely test.
- A few look-alike answers share four of its five letter spots.
Look-alike answers: HARDY.
How Popular Starting Words Did Against TARDY
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 | 45 |
| CRANE | CRANE | 48 |
| TRACE | TRACE | 2 |
| STARE | STARE | 11 |
| RAISE | RAISE | 20 |
| AUDIO | AUDIO | 49 |
On this puzzle, TRACE was the most useful opener, leaving 2 possible answers. Read our guide to the best starting words →
How to Solve Wordle #881 Step by Step
Here is one efficient way to reach TARDY. 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 | 49 |
| 2. TACIT | TACIT | 7 |
| 3. TANGO | TANGO | 3 |
| 4. TABBY | TABBY | 2 |
| 5. TAFFY | TAFFY | 1 |
| 6. TARDY | TARDY | Solved |
Solved in 6 guesses. After SLATE, 49 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 TARDY
| Position | Letter | Appears in (all answers) | In this exact spot |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | T | 29.6% | 6.6% |
| 2nd | A | 39.6% | 12.4% |
| 3rd | R | 36.2% | 7.1% |
| 4th | D | 16.2% | 3.2% |
| 5th | Y | 16.5% | 14.3% |
On This Day in Wordle: November 17
Answers from the same date in other years:
Wordle #881 FAQ
What was the Wordle answer on November 17, 2023?
The answer to Wordle #881 on November 17, 2023 was TARDY.
Was Wordle #881 hard?
We rate it 5.3 out of 10 (Medium-Hard), harder than about 57% of all Wordle puzzles.
What was the best starting word for Wordle #881?
Of the popular openers, TRACE did best, leaving 2 possible answers after the first guess.