Wordle NYT answer today #1698: moderately tricky puzzle revealed

Wordle #1698 hits players today with a plant-based puzzle that’s moderately tricky. The five-letter answer starts with V, and most players need around 4.3 guesses to crack it. Ready for the challenge, or do you need hints first?

What Is Today’s Wordle Answer?

The answer to Wordle #1698 is VEGAN. This five-letter word describes a person who avoids all animal products, including meat, dairy, eggs, and honey. The word starts with the uncommon letter V, which throws many players off their usual strategy.

If you guessed this word, congratulations on maintaining your winning streak. The word itself is commonly used in modern vocabulary, but the starting letter makes it moderately challenging for solvers who rely on typical vowel-heavy openers.

Hints for Today’s Wordle Before Revealing the Answer

Stuck on Wordle #1698? Here are spoiler-free clues to help you solve independently. This five-letter word describes a person who follows a specific diet and lifestyle choice. The term involves avoiding all animal-derived products completely.

The word contains two vowels (both different), and the first letter is uncommon in Wordle openers. If you’ve guessed letters like L, G, or N in recent games, you’re heading in the right direction for this puzzle.

Wordle Difficulty Breakdown and Player Statistics

According to New York Times WordleBot data, Wordle #1698 falls into the moderately challenging category. Most daily players report solving this puzzle in 4 to 5 guesses, making it slightly harder than average.

Metric	Details
Puzzle Number	1698
Date Released	February 11, 2026 (Wednesday)
Difficulty Level	Moderately Challenging
Average Solve Attempts	4-5 out of 6 guesses

According to data from New York Times testers, today’s puzzle took an average of 5 guesses out of 6, placing it squarely in the moderately challenging range for daily Wordle players.

— New York Times WordleBot, Wordle Game Analytics

Pro Tips to Master Wordle Puzzles Like Today’s Challenge

Want to improve your Wordle solving speed? Start with a strong opening word that features common vowels and consonants. Words like SLATE, CRANE, or ADIEU eliminate possibilities quickly. Avoid repeating your opening word daily, as variety strengthens your strategy.

Pay attention to letter positions after each guess. Yellow letters mean the letter belongs in the word but wrong position. Green tiles show correct letter placement. Many players cruise through puzzles by using second and third guesses strategically, narrowing down to just a few possibilities before final attempts.

What Makes Today’s Wordle Moderately Tricky?

The letter V is relatively uncommon as a starting letter in Wordle games, making puzzle #1698 more challenging than average. Most players begin with words containing S, A, E, or C, so starting with V catches many off guard. The word VEGAN itself is well known, but the unusual opening requires flexible thinking and strategic guessing.

This difficulty balance is what makes Wordle addictive. Not impossible, but not obvious either. If you struggled with today’s puzzle, try starting tomorrow with words featuring uncommon letters. Building mental flexibility with less obvious opening guesses strengthens your long-term Wordle performance significantly.

Sources

• New York Times Wordle – Official Wordle puzzle platform and WordleBot analysis data
• Mashable – Daily Wordle hints, answers, and puzzle reviews
• Forbes – Wordle strategy guides and difficulty assessments