Today’s Wordle #1708: Hints, Strategy And Answer For Saturday, February 21

As February draws to a close, we enter the final stretch of winter’s last full month. With spring only weeks away, many players may welcome the seasonal shift—but first, there’s a puzzle to solve. Below, you’ll find helpful hints, gameplay guidance, competitive scoring details and the full solution to today’s Wordle challenge.

How To Play Wordle

For those new to the game, Wordle is a daily five-letter word puzzle in which players have six attempts to guess the correct word. After each guess, the game provides color-coded feedback:

Green indicates the correct letter in the position.

Yellow signals the correct letter in the wrong position.

Gray means the letter does not appear in the word at all.

Each day presents a single shared solution for players worldwide, making it both a personal challenge and a communal experience. Many enthusiasts also track performance statistics or compete against friends using the game’s analytical companion, Wordle Bot.

Bonus Custom Wordle

In addition to the standard daily puzzle, players can now create custom Wordles ranging from four to seven letters. Today’s bonus puzzle is six letters long.

Hint: Grief

Clue: The word contains two sets of double letters.

Yesterday’s Bonus Answer: MEMORY

Today’s Wordle #1708 Hints

Before revealing the solution, consider the following clues:

Wordle Bot’s Suggested Starting Word: SLATE

Alternative Starting Word Used Today: TROPE

Hint: No longer asleep.

Clue: The word contains a double letter.

Take a moment to consider your options before scrolling further.

Today’s Wordle Answer

AWAKE

Strategy And Analysis

Today’s puzzle proved somewhat challenging, particularly with an opening guess that did not significantly narrow the field. Starting with TROPE left 171 possible solutions. A second guess, CHAIN, reduced the pool but still left numerous viable candidates.

The third guess, USAGE, attempted to eliminate remaining vowels and introduce new consonants; however, it provided limited progress toward the final answer. The fourth attempt, LEAVE, proved more effective, narrowing the solution to just two possibilities: AWAKE and AMAZE. Selecting AWAKE secured the correct answer on the fifth try.

This progression underscores a key Wordle strategy principle: balance vowel elimination with consonant diversity early on, then pivot quickly once -letter patterns emerge. Recognizing the potential for a double letter in today’s puzzle was instrumental in isolating the correct choice.

Competitive Wordle Scoring

For players engaging in competitive scoring, the point system is as follows:

Guess in 1: +3 points

Guess in 2: +2 points

Guess in 3: +1 point

Guess in 4: 0 points

Guess in 5: –1 point

Guess in 6: –2 points

Miss entirely: –3 points

Additional rules:

Beat your opponent: +1 point

Tie: 0 points

Lose: –1 point

Fridays are 2XP, doubling positive or negative totals.

In today’s round, solving the puzzle in five attempts resulted in a –1 point score. Since Wordle Bot completed the puzzle in four guesses, it earned 0 points for the solve and +1 point for the head-to-head win.

Running February totals:

Erik: 17 points

Wordle Bot: –1 point

Word Origin: “Awake”

The word awake traces its roots to Old English awacan (“to arise, become awake”) and awæcnan (“to be awakened”), both derived from the Proto-Germanic root wak- meaning “to be watchful” or “to be awake.” The prefix a- conveys the sense of “in a state of,” making the literal meaning “in a waking state.” The term has retained both verb and adjective forms throughout the evolution of English.

Whether you solved today’s puzzle swiftly or needed all six attempts, each Wordle presents a fresh opportunity to refine your strategy. Enjoy the weekend—and return tomorrow for another round of wordplay.