Solve today's Wordle exactly the way you want to with our helpful range of tips and advice. There's a fresh clue for the May 17 (697) game waiting below if you'd like a hint, or today's answer is only a quick click away if you need to rescue an unlucky game. You'll also find past answers, general help, and plenty more.
The results of today's opener really could've gone either way for me—one green and one yellow isn't a terrible start, but it's not good enough to guarantee a swift win either. Happily, luck was on my side this time, my follow-up almost gave me today's Wordle answer, and my third go polished off a satisfying game.
Today's Wordle hint
A Wordle hint for Wednesday, May 17
The word you need to find today describes a long, thin piece of wood often used to build floors. Pirates apparently had a fondness for making people walk one of these, stereotypically into shark-infested waters. There's only one vowel today.
Is there a double letter in today's Wordle?
There are no repeat letters in today's Wordle.
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
What is the #697 Wordle answer?
Another day, another win. The answer to the May 17 (697) Wordle is PLANK.
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:
- May 16: LATTE
- May 15: CANOE
- May 14: SCARF
- May 13: ACRID
- May 12: SNACK
- May 11: BROOM
- May 10: ETHIC
- May 9: COCOA
- May 8: AGLOW
- May 7: GHOUL
Learn more about Wordle
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.
