Wordle #917 Answer – December 23, 2023

This page covers Wordle puzzle #917, played on Saturday, December 23, 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 #917

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?

No, all five letters are different.

Hint 5: Meaning

noun — An area of ground that tends evenly upward or downward.

Wordle #917 Answer

The answer to Wordle #917 on December 23, 2023 was:

SLOPE

SLOPE has been the Wordle answer only once so far.

What Does SLOPE Mean?

Slope (noun): An area of ground that tends evenly upward or downward.

Example: “I had to climb a small slope to get to the site.”

How Hard Was Wordle #917?

3.6/10Medium
14%harder than this share of all 1,962 Wordles
2look-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.
  • A few look-alike answers share four of its five letter spots.

Look-alike answers: ELOPE, SCOPE.

How Popular Starting Words Did Against SLOPE

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
SLATESLATE4
CRANECRANE89
TRACETRACE94
STARESTARE26
RAISERAISE17
AUDIOAUDIO249

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

How to Solve Wordle #917 Step by Step

Here is one efficient way to reach SLOPE. 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. SLATESLATE4
2. SLICESLICE1
3. SLOPESLOPESolved

Solved in 3 guesses. After SLATE, 4 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 SLOPE

PositionLetterAppears in (all answers)In this exact spot
1stS25.8%14.8%
2ndL28%8.7%
3rdO30%11.2%
4thP14.6%2.1%
5thE47.1%19.7%

On This Day in Wordle: December 23

Answers from the same date in other years:

YearPuzzleAnswer
2025#1648GLINT
2024#1283SAUNA
2022#552AORTA
2021#187GRIPE

Wordle #917 FAQ

What was the Wordle answer on December 23, 2023?

The answer to Wordle #917 on December 23, 2023 was SLOPE.

Was Wordle #917 hard?

We rate it 3.6 out of 10 (Medium), harder than about 14% of all Wordle puzzles.

What was the best starting word for Wordle #917?

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