Wordle kept puzzle fans on their toes in 2025. “INBOX,” which appeared on April 19, emerged as the toughest word of the year, according to a Preply study that analyzed Google searches for hints related to the game.
Preply’s research spanned from January to November, measuring spikes in searches for “Wordle hint” to identify challenges. Notably, spikes in interest revealed that some days were especially tough, particularly around August 13-14. Here’s a look at the top ten hardest words:
1. INBOX (April 19)
2. EDIFY (June 6)
3. KEFIR (Aug. 13)
4. KNELL (Aug. 14)
5. LORIS (July 18)
6. QUOTA (March 30)
7. HAZEL (April 7)
8. IDIOM (May 30)
9. IMBUE (Aug. 8)
10. GIZMO (Nov. 11)
EDIFY, meaning to improve or instruct, and KEFIR, a fermented drink, sparked significant online inquiry.
While these words stumped many, not all were brain-teasers. The easy ones like CHAIR on September 11, BLUNT on September 24, and SPORT on May 27 offered relief to players.
Yearly Recaps for Wordle Players
The New York Times is joining in on the end-of-year wrap-up trend, similar to Spotify Wrapped. Their recap for Wordle players included stats on solving days, average guessing rates, and more.
The Wordle summary highlighted your preferred start word and your speed on different puzzles. Players could even compare their results with friends and see how they fared across other games like Connections and Spelling Bee.
Player Trends and Favorite Games
Puzzles also tracked player behavior, like how often they solved without hints and their longest streaks. For Connections, you could check out mistakes or which category you started with first.
Here are the features provided in the wrap-up:
1. Days puzzles solved
2. Fastest timer
3. Average guesses
4. Common starter word
5. Best game of the year
Resources for Wordle and More
CNET offers daily answers and hints for Wordle and other word games. Players can find guides to optimal starting words and strategies to improve their gameplay.
