Wordle #965 Answer – February 9, 2024
This page covers Wordle puzzle #965, played on Friday, February 9, 2024. 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 #965
Hint 1: How many vowels?
The answer has 1 vowel (A, E, I, O, U).
Hint 2: First letter
It starts with the letter S.
Hint 3: Last letter
It ends with the letter F.
Hint 4: Repeated letters?
Yes, one letter appears more than once.
Hint 5: Meaning
noun — An average person, usually male, of no particular distinction, skill, or education, often a working … or lucky ….
Wordle #965 Answer
The answer to Wordle #965 on February 9, 2024 was:
STIFF
STIFF has been the Wordle answer only once so far.
What Does STIFF Mean?
Stiff (noun): An average person, usually male, of no particular distinction, skill, or education, often a working stiff or lucky stiff.
Example: “A Working Stiff's Manifesto: A Memoir of Thirty Jobs I Quit, Nine That Fired Me, and Three I Can't Remember was published in 2003.”
How Hard Was Wordle #965?
7.9/10Hard
94%harder than this share of all 1,963 Wordles
3look-alike answers
- Only 1 vowel, so the vowel pattern is hard to find early.
- A repeated letter, which most players do not test until late.
- Less common letters (F) 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: STAFF, SKIFF, STUFF.
How Popular Starting Words Did Against STIFF
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 | 34 |
| CRANE | CRANE | 196 |
| TRACE | TRACE | 89 |
| STARE | STARE | 19 |
| RAISE | RAISE | 21 |
| AUDIO | AUDIO | 221 |
On this puzzle, STARE was the most useful opener, leaving 19 possible answers. Read our guide to the best starting words →
How to Solve Wordle #965 Step by Step
Here is one efficient way to reach STIFF. 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 | 39 |
| 2. SNORT | SNORT | 6 |
| 3. STICK | STICK | 1 |
| 4. STIFF | STIFF | Solved |
Solved in 4 guesses. After SLATE, 39 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 STIFF
| Position | Letter | Appears in (all answers) | In this exact spot |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | S | 25.8% | 14.9% |
| 2nd | T | 29.6% | 3.7% |
| 3rd | I | 27.8% | 10.9% |
| 4th | F | 8.8% | 1.7% |
| 5th | F | 8.8% | 1.2% |
On This Day in Wordle: February 9
Answers from the same date in other years:
Wordle #965 FAQ
What was the Wordle answer on February 9, 2024?
The answer to Wordle #965 on February 9, 2024 was STIFF.
Was Wordle #965 hard?
We rate it 7.9 out of 10 (Hard), harder than about 94% of all Wordle puzzles.
What was the best starting word for Wordle #965?
Of the popular openers, STARE did best, leaving 19 possible answers after the first guess.