It's time for another Wordle puzzle and if you are still scratching your head after several failed attempts, Newsweek is here to provide some hints and tips to help you solve today's brainteaser.
While the English-language puzzle game started with a player-base of just a few dozen, it soon grew into a global phenomenon within a few months.
New York-based software developer Josh Wardle created the game during the coronavirus lockdown as something "for me and my partner to enjoy."
The stratospheric rise of the game led The New York Times to pounce in January 2022 and offer an undisclosed low seven-figure sum for it. Wordle remains free to play via the publication's website.
Erhan Aslan, who teaches applied linguistics at the University of Reading in the U.K., offered some advice for Wordle players in a previous interview with Newsweek.
"One thing that I think is important in this game is the starting word chosen," he said. "Starting off with words that include commonly used vowels, for example, e and a, consonants such as r and t, and sound sequences might be helpful. Choosing a word that starts with q, z, j, or x, for instance, may not be the best choice.
"As you get more feedback after a few guesses, users need to draw on some knowledge of phonics to narrow down or eliminate some words that they might be thinking of using.
"For example, if the second letter of the target word is I (indicated by green) and the player feels that the word starts with a consonant, they will need to know that there are only a few consonant cluster possibilities, such as bl, cl, fl, gl, pl, sl."
The answer to today's puzzle will be revealed at the end of this article, so scroll down with caution if you want to solve it for yourself.
Wordle #897, Clues for Sunday, December 3
Newsweek has put together five clues to help you solve today's Wordle puzzle.
Hint #1: The answer contains two vowels.
Hint #2: There is one set of repeating letters in the answer.
Hint #3: Synonyms for today's answer include "change" and "alter."
Hint #4: The answer starts with a vowel.
Hint #5: Today's Wordle answer is a verb.
Wordle #897, Answer for Sunday, December 3
The answer to today's puzzle is "adapt."
Did you figure it out? If so, congratulations, but please don't be put off if not. One of the best things about Wordle is seeing if you can improve your score over time, and Newsweek will be back tomorrow with more hints and tips for the latest puzzle.
What Does 'Adapt' Mean?
The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines "adapt" as "to make fit (as for a new use) often by modification."
For example: "I had to adapt my daily schedule when I started a new job."
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Anders Anglesey is a U.S. News Reporter based in London, U.K., covering crime, politics, online extremism and trending stories. Anders ... Read more
To read how Newsweek uses AI as a newsroom tool, Click here.
