Wordle #90 Answer – September 17, 2021

This page covers Wordle puzzle #90, played on Friday, September 17, 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 #90

Hint 1: How many vowels?

The answer has 2 vowels (A, E, I, O, U).

Hint 2: First letter

It starts with the letter R.

Hint 3: Last letter

It ends with the letter D.

Hint 4: Repeated letters?

No, all five letters are different.

Hint 5: Meaning

adverb — So as to form a circle or trace a circular path, or approximation thereof.

Wordle #90 Answer

The answer to Wordle #90 on September 17, 2021 was:

ROUND

ROUND has been the Wordle answer only once so far.

What Does ROUND Mean?

Round (adverb): So as to form a circle or trace a circular path, or approximation thereof.

Example: “High above, vultures circled around.”

How Hard Was Wordle #90?

4.5/10Medium
36%harder than this share of all 1,962 Wordles
6look-alike answers
  • 2 vowels, which a typical starting word uncovers quickly.
  • Five different letters, which suits most guessing strategies.
  • Only common letters, with nothing unusual to find.
  • 6 look-alike answers share four of its five letter spots, which can turn the last guesses into a coin flip.

Look-alike answers: POUND, FOUND, SOUND, HOUND, WOUND, MOUND.

How Popular Starting Words Did Against ROUND

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
SLATESLATE179
CRANECRANE4
TRACETRACE51
STARESTARE80
RAISERAISE9
AUDIOAUDIO14

On this puzzle, CRANE was the most useful opener, leaving 4 possible answers. Read our guide to the best starting words →

How to Solve Wordle #90 Step by Step

Here is one efficient way to reach ROUND. 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. SLATESLATE214
2. IRONYIRONY1
3. ROUNDROUNDSolved

Solved in 3 guesses. After SLATE, 214 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 ROUND

PositionLetterAppears in (all answers)In this exact spot
1stR36.2%4.2%
2ndO30%12.6%
3rdU19.5%7.1%
4thN24%7.8%
5thD16.2%5%

On This Day in Wordle: September 17

Answers from the same date in other years:

YearPuzzleAnswer
2026#1916THETA
2025#1551TEETH
2024#1186BEAUT
2023#820MUSIC
2022#455CHUTE

Wordle #90 FAQ

What was the Wordle answer on September 17, 2021?

The answer to Wordle #90 on September 17, 2021 was ROUND.

Was Wordle #90 hard?

We rate it 4.5 out of 10 (Medium), harder than about 36% of all Wordle puzzles.

What was the best starting word for Wordle #90?

Of the popular openers, CRANE did best, leaving 4 possible answers after the first guess.