Wordle Today's Puzzle: Hints and Answer for Puzzle #1516 on Wednesday, August 13

The new Wordle game from The New York Times is available every day at midnight local time.

Today's Wordle Puzzle Hints (1516)

Here are some hints that may help you solve the puzzle:

• Vowels: Today's Wordle puzzle contains two standard vowels (A, E, I, O, U) in different positions.
• First Letter: Today's Wordle solution starts with the letter "K". This letter is uncommon as a starting letter in Wordle, ranking 22nd out of 26 letters, with only 20 answers beginning with it.
• Repeated Letters: There are no repeated letters in today's Wordle puzzle. Although repeated letters are relatively common in the game (748 out of 2309 answers contain a repeated letter), it is unlikely that today's Wordle puzzle will have repeated letters.
• Last Letter: Today's Wordle solution ends with the letter "R". This letter is very common as an ending letter in Wordle answers, ranking fourth after E, Y, and T.
• Additional Hint: The word is a type of fermented food.

Today's Wordle Puzzle Answer (1516)

Today's Wordle Answer: The answer is KEFIR.

"KEFIR" is a difficult word in Wordle, with an average score of 4.4 according to WordleBot, making it the hardest puzzle since "DAUNT" about two weeks ago. Its difficulty partly stems from being a word added by The New York Times and not part of Josh Wardle's original list of 2309 words. Words added by The New York Times tend to be more challenging. Also, the word's structure (KEF at the beginning) is unique, and there are only seven other original answers ending in "IR".

For those wondering: Kefir is a fermented milk drink, traditionally made using "kefir grains," which are colonies of yeast and lactic acid bacteria. This drink is known for its many health benefits, as it is a rich source of probiotics more potent than yogurt, promoting digestive health. It is also rich in calcium and vitamin K2, which contribute to improving bone health and reducing the risk of osteoporosis, in addition to containing antibacterial properties. (Source: Healthline).

Yesterday's Wordle Puzzle (1515)

Here are some hints provided for yesterday's puzzle:

• Vowels: Yesterday's Wordle puzzle contained two standard vowels in different positions.
• First Letter: Yesterday's Wordle solution started with the letter "N". This letter is relatively uncommon as a starting letter, with only 37 games beginning with it, ranking 18th in this regard.
• Repeated Letters: There were no repeated letters in yesterday's Wordle puzzle.
• Last Letter: Yesterday's Wordle solution ended with the letter "D". This letter is somewhat common as an ending letter in Wordle answers, where it ranks eighth.
• Additional Hint: The word refers to something that moves around a lot.

Yesterday's Wordle Answer: The answer was NOMAD.

"NOMAD" had an average score of 3.8, and it was not a very difficult puzzle. The word consists of two very common vowels and one very common consonant. The other two letters – M and D – are of medium commonness, but D is always a potential option at the end of a word.

What is Wordle?

Wordle is a viral word game phenomenon that swept the world in 2022 and is still going strong in 2025. The game challenges you to guess a new five-letter word every day. You get six attempts, and each guess reveals more information.

If a letter in your guess is in the answer and in the correct place, it turns green. If it's in the answer but in the wrong place, it turns yellow. And if it's not in the answer at all, it turns gray.

The game is played online through the Wordle website or The New York Times Games app (for iOS/Android), and it's completely free. Most importantly, the answer is the same for everyone every day, meaning you are competing against the rest of the world. The puzzle resets every day at midnight local time, giving you a new challenge and a chance to extend your winning streak.

Rules of Wordle

The rules of Wordle are very clear, with some exceptions:

• Correct Place: Letters in the answer and in the correct place turn green.
• Wrong Place: Letters in the answer but in the wrong place turn yellow.
• Missing Letter: Letters not in the answer at all turn gray.
• Singular Form: Answers are never plural.
• Repeated Letters: Letters can appear more than once.
• Valid Words: Each guess must be a valid word in the Wordle dictionary.
• Hard Mode: You don't have to include correct letters in subsequent guesses unless you're playing in Hard Mode.
• Number of Attempts: You have six attempts to solve the Wordle puzzle.
• Time Limit: You must complete the daily Wordle puzzle before midnight in your time zone.
• Answer List: All answers are from Wordle's list of 2309 solutions. However, Wordle accepts a wider range of words as guesses (approximately 10,000 words), such as plural words, although they will not be the correct answers.
• New York Times Updates: The New York Times has added some of its own words that were not in the original list of 2309 solutions.