Wordle #976 Answer – February 20, 2024
This page covers Wordle puzzle #976, played on Tuesday, February 20, 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 #976
Hint 1: How many vowels?
The answer has 1 vowel (A, E, I, O, U).
Hint 2: First letter
It starts with the letter M.
Hint 3: Last letter
It ends with the letter H.
Hint 4: Repeated letters?
No, all five letters are different.
Hint 5: Meaning
noun — A competitive sporting event such as a boxing meet, a baseball game, or a cricket ….
Wordle #976 Answer
The answer to Wordle #976 on February 20, 2024 was:
MATCH
MATCH has been the Wordle answer only once so far.
What Does MATCH Mean?
Match (noun): A competitive sporting event such as a boxing meet, a baseball game, or a cricket match.
Example: “My local team are playing in a match against their arch-rivals today.”
How Hard Was Wordle #976?
6.2/10Medium-Hard
75%harder than this share of all 1,963 Wordles
7look-alike answers
- Only 1 vowel, so the vowel pattern is hard to find early.
- Five different letters, which suits most guessing strategies.
- Only common letters, with nothing unusual to find.
- 7 look-alike answers share four of its five letter spots, which can turn the last guesses into a coin flip.
Look-alike answers: HATCH, WATCH, CATCH, MARCH, PATCH, BATCH, LATCH.
How Popular Starting Words Did Against MATCH
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 | 26 |
| TRACE | TRACE | 7 |
| STARE | STARE | 59 |
| RAISE | RAISE | 75 |
| AUDIO | AUDIO | 355 |
On this puzzle, TRACE was the most useful opener, leaving 7 possible answers. Read our guide to the best starting words →
How to Solve Wordle #976 Step by Step
Here is one efficient way to reach MATCH. 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 | 6 |
| 3. BATCH | BATCH | 5 |
| 4. CATCH | CATCH | 4 |
| 5. HATCH | HATCH | 3 |
| 6. MATCH | MATCH | 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 MATCH
| Position | Letter | Appears in (all answers) | In this exact spot |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | M | 13% | 4.9% |
| 2nd | A | 39.6% | 12.4% |
| 3rd | T | 29.6% | 4.8% |
| 4th | C | 19.2% | 6.3% |
| 5th | H | 16.9% | 6% |
On This Day in Wordle: February 20
Answers from the same date in other years:
Wordle #976 FAQ
What was the Wordle answer on February 20, 2024?
The answer to Wordle #976 on February 20, 2024 was MATCH.
Was Wordle #976 hard?
We rate it 6.2 out of 10 (Medium-Hard), harder than about 75% of all Wordle puzzles.
What was the best starting word for Wordle #976?
Of the popular openers, TRACE did best, leaving 7 possible answers after the first guess.