Today's Wordle hint and answer #823: Wednesday, September 20

Today's Wordle puzzle on a smartphone
(Image credit: Future)

You'll find everything you need to win today's Wordle, and more besides, waiting for you below. Find guidance with our daily clue, energise every guess with our general tips, or cut straight to the win with the answer to the September 20 (823) puzzle.

I came dangerously close to snatching defeat from the jaws of victory today. Who knew nailing down that one last green would take four more goes? Still, for all the panic edging far too close to the bottom of today's Wordle caused, the relief I felt at the end almost made the ordeal worth it. Almost. 

Today's Wordle hint

(Image credit: Josh Wardle)

A Wordle hint for Wednesday, September 20

The word you're looking for today is a type of drum—and can also refer to a kind of wire trap for wild animals, too. The answer today ends in a vowel. 

Is there a double letter in today's Wordle? 

No, there is no double letter in today's puzzle. 

Wordle help: 3 tips for beating Wordle every day 

Playing Wordle well is like achieving a small victory every day—who doesn't like a well-earned winning streak in a game you enjoy? If you're new to the daily word game, or just want a refresher, I'm going to share a few quick tips to help set you on the path to success: 

  • You want a balanced mix of unique consonants and vowels in your opening word. 
  • A solid second guess helps to narrow down the pool of letters quickly.
  • The answer could contain letters more than once.

There's no time pressure beyond making sure it's done by the end of the day. If you're struggling to find the answer or a tactical word for your next guess, there's no harm in coming back to it later on. 

Today's Wordle answer

(Image credit: Future)

What is the #823 Wordle answer?

Struggling? Not any more. The answer to the September 20 (823) Wordle is SNARE.

Previous Wordle answers

The last 10 Wordle answers 

Knowing previous Wordle solutions can be helpful in eliminating current possibilities. It's unlikely a word will be repeated and you can find inspiration for guesses or starting words that may be eluding you. 

Here are some recent Wordle answers:

  • September 19: CLOSE
  • September 18: FRANK
  • September 17: MUSIC
  • September 16: ANGEL
  • September 15: EXERT
  • September 14: RAYON
  • September 13: CLEAR
  • September 12: WHISK
  • September 11: OLDER
  • September 10: QUOTE

Learn more about Wordle 

(Image credit: Nurphoto via Getty)

Wordle gives you six rows of five boxes each day, and it's your job to work out which five-letter word is hiding by eliminating or confirming the letters it contains.

Starting with a strong word like LEASH—something containing multiple vowels, common consonants, and no repeat letters—is a good place to start. 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 go should compliment the starting word, using another "good" guess 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.  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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