Today's Wordle hint and answer #789: Thursday, August 17

Today's Wordle puzzle on a smartphone

Find a fresh perspective for your daily Wordle with our help. Skip straight to the August 17 (789) answer if you need a win in a hurry, or sit for a while and mull over the clue written especially for today's game—however you want to win, I've got your back.

In many ways today's game went brilliantly for me. I had a seriously productive opener, and that soon led to four greens. Then that led to another four greens. And then… and then, after missing the most obvious answer twice, I finally got today's Wordle answer right. 

Today's Wordle hint

(Image credit: Josh Wardle)

A Wordle hint for Thursday, August 17

Anything that's not quite right, or hasn't hit its mark in some way, whether that's an emotional problem or a physical fault, could be described using today's answer—although the term is more likely to be found in classic romance novels than modern conversation. 

Is there a double letter in today's Wordle? 

Yes, there is a double letter in today's puzzle. 

Wordle help: 3 tips for beating Wordle every day 

If you're new to the daily Wordle puzzle or you just want a refresher after taking a break, I'll share some quick tips to help you win. There's nothing quite like a small victory to set you up for the rest of the day. 

  • A mix of unique consonants and vowels makes for a solid opening word. 
  • A tactical second guess should let you narrow down the pool of letters quickly.
  • There may be a repeat letter in the answer.

You're not up against a timer, so you've got all the time in the world—well, until midnight—to find the winning word. If you're stuck, there's no shame in coming back to the puzzle later in the day and finishing it up when you've cleared your head. 

Today's Wordle answer

(Image credit: Future)

What is the #789 Wordle answer?

Welcome to the best bit. The answer to the August 17 (789) Wordle is AMISS.

Previous Wordle answers

The last 10 Wordle answers 

Keeping track of the last handful of Wordle answers can help to eliminate current possibilities. It's also handy for inspiring opening words or subsequent guesses if you're short on ideas for the day.

Here are the last 10 Wordle answers:

  • August 16: SCRUB
  • August 15: INDEX
  • August 14: SNAKY
  • August 13: WRATH
  • August 12: QUICK
  • August 11: HELLO
  • August 10: EMPTY
  • August 9: LOVER
  • August 8: BULLY
  • August 7: BROOK

Learn more about Wordle 

(Image credit: Nurphoto via Getty)

Wordle presents you with six rows of five boxes every day and the aim is to figure out the correct five-letter word by entering guesses and eliminating or confirming individual letters.

Getting off to a good start with a strong word like ARISE—something containing multiple vowels, common consonants, and no repeat letters—is a good tactic. Once you hit Enter, the boxes will show you which letters you've got right or wrong. If a box turns ⬛️, it means that letter isn't in the secret word at all. 🟨 means the letter is in the word, but not in that position. 🟩 means you've got the right letter in the right spot.

Your second guess should compliment the starting word, using another "good" word to cover any common letters you missed last time while also trying to avoid any letter you now know for a fact isn't present in today's answer. With a bit of luck, you should have some coloured squares to work with and set you on the right path.

After that, it's just a case of using what you've learned to narrow your guesses down to the right word. You have six tries in total and can only use real words (so no filling the boxes with EEEEE to see if there's an E). Don't forget letters can repeat too (ex: BOOKS).

If you need any further advice feel free to check out our Wordle tips, and if you'd like to find out which words have already been used, you can scroll to the relevant section above.

Originally, Wordle was dreamed up by software engineer Josh Wardle, as a surprise for his partner who loves word games. From there it spread to his family, and finally got released to the public. The word puzzle game has since inspired tons of games like Wordle, refocusing the daily gimmick around music or math or geography. It wasn't long before Wordle became so popular it was sold to the New York Times for seven figures. Surely it's only a matter of time before we all solely communicate in tricolor boxes. 

Kerry Brunskill
Contributing Writer

When baby Kerry was brought home from the hospital her hand was placed on the space bar of the family Atari 400, a small act of parental nerdery that has snowballed into a lifelong passion for gaming and the sort of freelance job her school careers advisor told her she couldn't do. She's now PC Gamer's word game expert, taking on the daily Wordle puzzle to give readers a hint each and every day. Her Wordle streak is truly mighty.

Somehow Kerry managed to get away with writing regular features on old Japanese PC games, telling today's PC gamers about some of the most fascinating and influential games of the '80s and '90s.

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