Wordle Answer Today (May 16): Friday's Puzzle Was A Real ‘FIFTH’ Gear Challenge

While Wordle typically throws curveballs with uncommon or tricky letter combinations, today’s puzzle was a different beast altogether.

We've broken down today's Wordle for you, with the answer revealed at the end.

Source : Screenshot/New York Times

Wordle Answer Today: If Friday’s Wordle had you scratching your head, you weren’t alone. Puzzle #1427, released on May 16, offered a cryptic blend of clues that left many players hovering at guess five with sweaty palms. But for those playing to keep a long-standing streak alive — or just hungry for that daily dopamine hit — fear not. We've broken it down for you, with the answer revealed at the end.

Friday's Wordle: A Numbers Game in Disguise

While Wordle typically throws curveballs with uncommon or tricky letter combinations, today’s puzzle was a different beast altogether — it was a number masquerading as a word. That one-word clue alone had players rethinking their entire strategy.

Hints offered throughout the day nudged solvers gently toward the answer:

• The word starts with an ‘F’
• It ends in an ‘H’
• It contains only one vowel
• And perhaps the most intriguing: it represents a number

Put all of that together, and you’re left staring at a word that’s used frequently but rarely considered in word games.

Wordle Tips: Starting With “Thief” Could’ve Saved the Day

For those looking to optimise their early guesses, “thief” was flagged as an especially strategic opener today. Plugging it in would have lit up four letters in yellow — a huge head start for anyone paying close attention.

And if you were wondering whether any letters were repeated, today’s solution featured four unique ones, cutting down the possibilities significantly, provided you clocked that pattern early on.

The Wordle Answer for May 16 Revealed

Couldn’t crack it? No judgment here. The official Wordle answer for May 16 (puzzle #1427) was: FIFTH

A straightforward word, yet deceptively tough to pin down with limited guesses. “The word ‘fifth’ indicates that something is the fifth item in a sequence,” the hint guide explains.

If you got it right — kudos! You’ve kept the streak alive another day. If not, there’s always tomorrow’s puzzle waiting in the wings. In the meantime, perhaps give “fifth” a well-deserved spot on your mental word list of common-yet-sneaky entries.

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