Here we are, it is Monday and you are staring with puzzlement at the dark screen of Wordle, the online game that software developer Josh Wardle gifted the world at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
A 2021 YouGov survey conducted in the same year of the game’s release found that Monday was by far Americans’ least favorite day of the week. Wordle should not make it worse, it should make it better.
And we promise this word could bring a little smile on your face—once you get it. If you are feeling stuck and need a little help, Newsweek has a series of clues and hint that will lead you to today’s answer.
Scroll carefully, as at the end of this article you will find the solution to today’s Wordle.
How to Play Wordle
Whether you always start with the same word or you shake things up every day with a different word, there is no escaping the fundamental rule of Wordle: the mystery word is a five-letter one. It can be a plural one, but not if it ends with “s” or “es.” It can be a past tense verb, but not if it ends in “ed.” While you can still use these words, there is not really a point of bothering with them.
Once you put in your word, your letter will either turn green if the letter is right and in the correct position; yellow, if the letter is in the word but in the wrong position; or gray, if the letter is not in the word.
You have six tries to guess the correct word. A new puzzle is released every day at midnight with a new mystery word.
Previously speaking to Newsweek, Erhan Aslan, a linguistics expert who teaches at the University of Reading in the United Kingdom, gave Wordle players some tips to be better at the game.
“One thing that I think is important in this game is the starting word chosen. Starting off with words that include commonly used vowels, for example, e and a, consonants such as r and t, and sound sequences might be helpful,” he said. “Choosing a word that starts with q, z, j, or x, for instance, may not be the best choice.”
According to Aslan, “as you get more feedback after a few guesses, users need to draw on some knowledge of phonics to narrow down or eliminate some words that they might be thinking.” For example, he said, “if the second letter of the target word is l (indicated by green) and the player feels that the word starts with a consonant, they will need to know that there are only a few consonant cluster possibilities (such as bl, cl, fl, gl, pl, sl).”
Wordle #1,381, Clues for Monday, March 31
Hint #1: The answer contains two vowels.
Hint #2: There is a repeated letter.
Hint #3: The second and third letters are vowels.
Hint #4: It is a word that can mean two wildly different things—one is great, the other not so much. Especially if you are the one the “prize of war” (a synonym!) has been taken from.
Hint #5: One of the first three letters in the alphabet is featured.
Wordle #1,381, Answer for Monday, March 31
The answer to today’s Wordle puzzle is “booty.”
Newsweek will be back on Tuesday with another round of hints and tips for the next puzzle.
What Does ‘Booty’ Mean?
The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines “booty” as “plunder taken,” as in war. But also as U.S. slang for buttocks.
As in the iconic lyrics of KC and the Sunshine Band, “Shake, shake, shake, shake, shake, shake, shake your booty.” Not so bad for a Monday.
Read the full article here
