'Wordle' #788 Answer, Clues and Hints for Wednesday, August 16 Challenge

The Wordle answer for Wednesday, August 16 could stump the best puzzle players if your first guesses don't prove to be as helpful as you would like.

Thankfully, Newsweek is here to provide a helping hand to ensure you keep that streak alive.

The game's success could, in part, be explained by its simplicity, meaning almost anyone can pick up and play it regardless of their skill level.

The popular game's premise is simple enough; players have to follow a color system to work out a five-letter word within six guesses. Green tiles show letters that are in the word and in the correct position. A yellow tile means the letter is in the word but in the wrong place. A gray tile means that the letter is not in the word at all.

Some players claim to have the perfect strategy while others remain determined to freestyle their attempts to solve the puzzle each day.

For example, some players start by entering vowel-heavy words in a bid to get off to a good start. This may prove less beneficial if the answer turns out to be a consonant-heavy word, however.

The game's creator, software engineer Josh Wardle, has his own strategy and likes to spend his first few tries eliminating as much of the alphabet as he can.

If you find your usual strategies for solving the puzzle aren't working, our tips might be just what you need to ensure you overcome Wednesday's challenge.

'Wordle' #788, Tips for Wednesday, August 16

Today's answer will be revealed at the end of this article, so scroll down carefully if you want to work it out on your own. Here are some clues that might help you along the way.

Hint #1: There a no repeated letters in today's Wordle answer.

Hint #2: Wednesday's answer contains one vowel.

Hint #3: You may want to use "shock" as a starting word as it will give you one green tile at the start of the word and a yellow tile.

Hint #4: The answer starts with a consonant blend, which is where two letters combine but they each make their own sound. Such examples are "SL," "ST," "PL" and "GR."

Hint #5: The Merriam-Webster dictionary provides multiple definitions for today's answer including: "to clean with hard rubbing: Scour."

'Wordle' #788, Answer for Wednesday, August 16

The answer to today's puzzle is "scrub."

Hopefully, you were able to figure out that tricky word within the six tries permitted. The next Wordle puzzle will be available at 7 p.m. ET, when the daily update occurs.

If you can't wait, you can always try to crack some alternative word puzzles instead, such as Quordle or Typochondria.

Uncommon Knowledge

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

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