Strategic players use starter words that cover the most letters. The NYT WordleBot says that the best 5-letter words are those that have a set of common vowels (A, E, I, O, U) and consonants that are used often (S, T, R, N, L).

The New York Times has grown its newsroom over the last decade, while others are dwindling or disappearing altogether. Wordle is just one of The New York Times' 11 games it currently offers which were played a collective 11.

Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Credit: Getty Images Mike Kemp / Contributor Playing games like Wordle is a great ...

Scroll down for hints and conversation about the puzzle for Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026. By New York Times Games Welcome to The Wordle Review. Be warned: This page contains spoilers for today’s puzzle. Solve Wordle first,