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Today's Wordle answer should be easy to solve if you're a bit of a nerd.

If you just want to be told today's word, you can jump to the bottom of this article for today's Wordle solution revealed. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for October 26, 2026 Where did Wordle come from?

Originally created by engineer Josh Wardle as a gift for his partner, Wordle rapidly spread to become an international phenomenon, with thousands of people around the globe playing every day. Alternate Wordle versions created by fans also sprang up, including battle royale Squabble, music identification game Heardle, and variations like Dordle and Quordle that make you guess multiple words at once. 

Wordle eventually became so popular that it was purchased by the New York Times, and TikTok creators even livestream themselves playing.

What's the best Wordle starting word?

The best Wordle starting word is the one that speaks to you. But if you prefer to be strategic in your approach, we have a few ideas to help you pick a word that might help you find the solution faster. One tip is to select a word that includes at least two different vowels, plus some common consonants like S, T, R, or N.

What happened to the Wordle archive?

The entire archive of past Wordle puzzles was originally available for anyone to enjoy whenever they felt like it, but it was later taken down, with the website's creator stating it was done at the request of the New York Times. However, the New York Times then rolled out its own Wordle Archive, available only to NYT Games subscribers.

Is Wordle getting harder?

It might feel like Wordle is getting harder, but it actually isn't any more difficult than when it first began. You can turn on Wordle's Hard Mode if you're after more of a challenge, though.

Here's a subtle hint for today's Wordle answer:

A patchy clothing item.

Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?

The letter E appears twice.

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Today's Wordle is a 5-letter word that starts with...

Today's Wordle starts with the letter G.

The Wordle answer today is...

Get your last guesses in now, because it's your final chance to solve today's Wordle before we reveal the solution.

Drumroll please!

The solution to today's Wordle is...

GEEKY

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be a new Wordle for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.

Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.

Reporting by Chance Townsend, Caitlin Welsh, Sam Haysom, Amanda Yeo, Shannon Connellan, Cecily Mauran, Mike Pearl, and Adam Rosenberg contributed to this article.

Meet The Mashable 101: Our list of the content creators shaping the internet today

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Wordle.

I follow the straightforward Task Manager route to disable anything I don't plan to use as soon as I log on. It saves some boot time and stops distractions.

I’ve been using Windows since Windows 95, and over the years, I’ve watched a lot of my favorite apps die or get replaced with more “modern” alternatives. While these newer versions are probably better, I still miss the old ones. I really liked their overall layout and aesthetics, and maybe it’s nostalgia talking, but I also think those apps just worked better and were less buggy than their modern counterparts. As such, I’ve always been on the lookout for apps that try to recreate that retro look and feel, but I never expected to find them on Linux, of all places.

When I first saw that some EVs come with power outlets inside the cabin, I longed to own one. Not anymore. I've solved that problem with my existing car, and I've gained more in the process than I expected. This is thanks to a tiny solar generator and the panels that power it.

October is slowly coming to an end, but Halloween is still a top priority for Netflix. The streamer has plenty of horror hits for spooky season, including The Black Phone and Fear Street. I don't mind watching something that can scare me, but I prefer to stream thrillers.

TL;DR: Microsoft Office Professional 2021 for Windows is $27.97 (reg. $219.99) through Nov. 1.

Opens in a new window Credit: Microsoft Microsoft Office Professional 2021 for Windows: Lifetime License $27.97
$219.99 Save $192.02   Get Deal

This is your last chance to ditch Microsoft 365’s subscription fees for good. Until tomorrow, Nov. 16, at midnight, you can grab a lifetime license to Microsoft Office 2021 for way less than its usual retail price. Simply pay once, download the full software suite, and never worry about renewals again.

We know what you’re thinking, but rest assured, this isn’t some stripped-down lite version either. It’s the real deal. Whether you’re writing reports, crunching numbers, building presentations, managing emails, or wrangling databases, the lifetime version of Microsoft Office has you covered.

It’s a one-time download for one Windows PC, so once it’s yours, it’s yours. The full pro-level toolkit, minus the stress of a subscription. Plus, with instant license delivery and free customer support, getting started is as painless as your new spreadsheet workflow.

No more “trial expired” pop-ups. No more surprise charges. Just the latest versions of Microsoft’s best apps, ready to support all of your work and personal needs.

Download Microsoft Office for Windows while it’s on sale for $27.97 until Nov. 1 at 11:59 p.m. PT (reg. $219.99). No coupon is needed.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

Although USB-A's color-coded cables and ports may be a nuisance to navigate, there's no replacing this tech, old as it may be. While USB-C is endlessly more convenient, convenience isn't everything, even in 2026.

Many Linux veterans still vouch for Vim for editing documents and writing code. As a Linux user myself, I can see why. When many companies are going AI-first with their code editors, Vim stays true to what it was meant for: a simple terminal text editor that makes you efficient while programming.

Do you, like me, obsess over your Claude sessions, trying to optimize everything down to a single token? If so, you’re in good company — I’ve been trying everything to stretch my $20 Claude Pro subscription as far as I can. However, all your tweaks and adjustments only work if you’re building them on a solid foundation. As it turns out, the way I was using Claude was actually working against me and inflating my token usage from the very first message.

As someone who tries to spend one weekend night at a theater, I see as many movies as I can. Not all of these movies will be masterpieces. Some might even feel like a waste of time, though I can usually justify why I watched them in the first place. Like most cinephiles, I have a sixth sense for a certain type of movie: one I don't have to rewatch.

Say you want to copy a file to another folder on your Windows PC, but not for backup purposes. If you just want to have the same file appear in multiple folders, you don’t have to copy it the usual way, where each copy takes up the full amount of storage space. What you can do instead is hard link it, which makes the same file show up in another folder, indistinguishable from the original, with the benefit of this “copy” not using any extra storage.

Tools looking grimy from years of neglect? Thinking of selling a driver or sander and want to get top dollar for it? Here’s how to get your tools looking their best, with a proper clean.

Terminal apps have a reputation for being too minimal, confusing, and useful only for technical workflows. And while that might have been true a few years ago, modern terminal apps are a lot more intuitive and functional, covering plenty of everyday computing use cases. This makes them excellent lightweight alternatives to typical desktop apps. In fact, here are five TUI (terminal user interface) apps that have completely replaced GUI (graphical user interface) apps in my workflow.

Across the nation, there appears to be growing frustration with the explosion of AI-generated advertising plaguing small-business storefronts and restaurant interiors. Last Thursday, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro signed the Artificial Intelligence Deceptive Advertising Act into law, mandating that all ads, from million-dollar television commercials to printed flyers passed out on the street, contain a disclosure label in the same format as the ad itself.

SEE ALSO: Hackers find a way to turn users' own AI agents and Downloads folders against them

The purpose of the bill is to combat false or misleading advertising, which is much easier to engage in with the help of AI-generated content. The bill, as introduced, states:

"An advertiser may not create and disseminate or cause to be created and disseminated an advertisement that uses synthetic content in a manner that creates a false consumer perception about the nature, origin or authenticity of the goods or services being advertised, without clear and conspicuous disclosure. A disclosure under this section must state that the advertisement contains content that was modified or generated using artificial intelligence."

And because it applies to all advertising shown in Pennsylvania, it will impact, for example, television commercials created in other states or advertisements made in other countries, so the consequences of this bill will be far-reaching. 

According to reporting by The Verge, though, critics of the bill wonder how effective it will be, given the imprecise nature of some of the language used. As The Verge notes, language like "significantly modified" is subjective and open to wide ranges of interpretation, while extensive exceptions made for "parody, satire, commentary, or criticism" offer advertisers legal wiggle room. 

Whatever the ultimate impacts of the bill or the future interpretations by the court system, it represents another attempt by elected representatives to respond to the overwhelming will of voters to bring artificial intelligence under legislative control, so we expect this bill to initiate a trend.

I'm no stranger to finding weird things for my USB drives to do, such as repurposing them as "rescue drives." But this year, with the RAM shortage spilling over to every area of the PC market, I've found new ways to make good use of just about every piece of tech that I own. From a tiny file server to a retro gaming console, here's what I used my USB flash drives for in 2026.

I switched to Jellyfin from Plex some time ago, and I haven't looked back. While Jellyfin gives me control over my media collection, its clients don't always feel designed for people who run their own servers. The free and open-source Moonfin client supports Jellyfin and Emby and was built specifically with homelabbers in mind.

Microsoft has spent what feels like years pushing Copilot updates into Excel, but for me, it's the little usability improvements that make the biggest difference when you use the app every day. A small change to a dialog box can save you a few clicks, remove an annoying extra step, or make a good habit easier to stick to. One recent change to the way Excel creates tables is a good example, and it's something I've wanted for years.

I regularly need to move files between my Linux PC and my Android phone, but there are surprisingly few good options. You can manually attach your phone to the PC, email the files to yourself, or use a cloud storage service, but those options are either clunky or involve more steps than I'd like. KDE Connect is great for transferring a few files now and then, but it isn't designed as a sync program.

Want to 3D print items that live outside? One option is to throw caution to the wind, print with whatever material you like, and seal everything up with an aftercoat. Unfortunately, this requires time and money, and things can still wear with time.

Android users, listen up: Google is quietly verifying and attaching your phone number across all your signed-in Google accounts, according to reporting from Android Authority. The policy change happened between August and October of 2025, under the "Verify phone numbers automatically" setting, which must now be opted out of rather than opted into.

What does this mean in practice? All Google accounts used on your phone are going to be associated with your phone number, whether you want them to be or not, including accounts you add in the future. Furthermore, because Google periodically attempts to re-verify phone numbers, you could incur carrier charges associated with that verification process.

SEE ALSO: Anthropic’s Claude can now send Gmail emails without asking first

It might seem like a shady practice, especially because it was set to function by default, but there's also a good rationale for allowing Google to do this, as it improves the sharing functionality across your Google accounts, and makes things like phone recovery much easier, in the event that you lose your phone and want to restore a new phone to the old one's settings. There's also a slew of quality-of-life features, from faster sign-ins to emergency location services, that work better or faster with this feature enabled. 

Of course, there's also an incentive for Google as well, since connecting all your Google accounts via phone number helps to optimize their ad performance, allowing them to show you more targeted advertisements across your devices or accounts. 

If you do decide you would rather opt out of this functionality on your Android phone, navigate to Settings, select Google then All Services and choose Privacy & Security. Once here, you need to select the "Phone number verification" page and de-select "Verify phone numbers automatically" to disable this feature.