Wordle #9 Answer – June 28, 2021
This page covers Wordle puzzle #9, played on Monday, June 28, 2021. 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 #9
Hint 1: How many vowels?
The answer has 2 vowels (A, E, I, O, U).
Hint 2: First letter
It starts with the letter S.
Hint 3: Last letter
It ends with the letter E.
Hint 4: Repeated letters?
Yes, one letter appears more than once.
Hint 5: Meaning
noun — An act of putting the ball or shuttlecock in play in various games.
Wordle #9 Answer
The answer to Wordle #9 on June 28, 2021 was:
SERVE
SERVE has been the Wordle answer only once so far.
What Does SERVE Mean?
Serve (noun): An act of putting the ball or shuttlecock in play in various games.
Example: “Whose serve is it?”
How Hard Was Wordle #9?
4.3/10Medium
29%harder than this share of all 1,962 Wordles
2look-alike answers
- 2 vowels, which a typical starting word uncovers quickly.
- A repeated letter, which most players do not test until late.
- Less common letters (V) that starting words rarely test.
- A few look-alike answers share four of its five letter spots.
Look-alike answers: VERVE, NERVE.
How Popular Starting Words Did Against SERVE
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 | 28 |
| CRANE | CRANE | 34 |
| TRACE | TRACE | 34 |
| STARE | STARE | 2 |
| RAISE | RAISE | 7 |
| AUDIO | AUDIO | 147 |
On this puzzle, STARE was the most useful opener, leaving 2 possible answers. Read our guide to the best starting words →
How to Solve Wordle #9 Step by Step
Here is one efficient way to reach SERVE. 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 | 34 |
| 2. SPIRE | SPIRE | 3 |
| 3. SERGE | SERGE | 1 |
| 4. SERVE | SERVE | Solved |
Solved in 4 guesses. After SLATE, 34 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 SERVE
| Position | Letter | Appears in (all answers) | In this exact spot |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | S | 25.8% | 14.8% |
| 2nd | E | 47.1% | 10.6% |
| 3rd | R | 36.2% | 7.1% |
| 4th | V | 6.7% | 2.1% |
| 5th | E | 47.1% | 19.7% |
On This Day in Wordle: June 28
Answers from the same date in other years:
Wordle #9 FAQ
What was the Wordle answer on June 28, 2021?
The answer to Wordle #9 on June 28, 2021 was SERVE.
Was Wordle #9 hard?
We rate it 4.3 out of 10 (Medium), harder than about 29% of all Wordle puzzles.
What was the best starting word for Wordle #9?
Of the popular openers, STARE did best, leaving 2 possible answers after the first guess.