CNET editor Gael Fashingbauer Cooper, a journalist and pop-culture junkie, is co-author of "Whatever Happened to Pudding Pops? The Lost Toys, Tastes and Trends of the '70s and '80s," as well as "The Totally Sweet '90s." She's been a journalist since 1989, working at Mpls.St.Paul Magazine, Twin Cities Sidewalk, the Minneapolis Star Tribune, and NBC News Digital. She's Gen X in birthdate, word and deed. If Marathon candy bars ever come back, she'll be first in line. See full bio
Today's Wordle answer could be a tough one. One of the letters is one of the least-used in English words, so you may not tend to guess it. We've ranked all the letters in the alphabet by popularity if you want to use this list to decide on your best Wordle start words.
Warning: If you keep reading, you'll see the Wordle answer for Thursday, May 9, puzzle No. 1055. That could be a devastating spoiler for some players. But if you just need the answer -- maybe you're on your last guess and just don't want to see an 800-game streak go poof -- keep reading.
There are no repeated letters in today's Wordle.
Today's Wordle answer ends in the letter Y.
Today's Wordle answer begins with the letter J. (The second-last letter on our chart of frequently used letters!)
The Wordle answer has multiple meanings. One of them is a chewy meat snack.
Today's Wordle answer is also part of the name of a 1990s duo famous for phone pranks.
Here comes the spoiler: Today's Wordle answer is JERKY, as in beef jerky snacks, or The Jerky Boys comedy duo.
Yesterday's answer, #1054, May 8, was PIOUS.
May 4, No. 1050: VALUE
May 5, No. 1051: DECAL
May 6, No. 1052: SHAVE
May 7, No. 1053: MUSTY
I've written a lot Wordle -- from covering its 1,000th word to my list of the best starter words to a helpful two-step strategy to news controversial word changes. I've even rounded up what I learned playing the hit online word puzzle for a full year. So if you're rethinking your need for the actual answer, you might try tips from one of those stories.
Still need a starter word? One person told me they just look around and choose a five-letter object that they've spotted to use as their starter word -- such as COUCH or CHAIR. I tend to stick to starter words that have the most popular letters used in English words. I like TRAIN as a starter, though I have a friend who uses TRAIL. I've read that use the financial term ROATE, but I like to use words I actually know.
