Wordle Today: Answer, Hints for March 27, 2026 (#1742)
NYT Wordle Answers Today – March 27, 2026

Table of Contents
- Today’s Overview
- Step-by-Step Solving Strategy
- Dictionary Traps & Game Mechanic Analysis
- Today’s Answers & Breakdown
- Frequently Asked Questions
Today’s Overview
Today’s NYT Wordle, puzzle #1742 for March 27, 2026, presents a unique challenge. The solution is IVORY. This word can be tricky due to its less common letters and vowel placement. Let’s break down how to conquer it.
Interactive Wordle Reveal
Tap the tiles below to reveal the verified 5-letter answer.
The answer is IVORY.
Step-by-Step Solving Strategy
Solving Wordle requires a blend of luck and smart deduction. Here’s a proven path to today’s answer, IVORY, focusing on letter frequency and positional strategy.
- Starting Strong: The Opener
Your first guess is crucial. We always recommend a word with three vowels and two common consonants. Let’s start with CRANE. It hits ‘C’, ‘R’, ‘A’, ‘N’, ‘E’ – all high-frequency letters. - Analyzing Feedback from CRANE
Imagine you guessed CRANE. Here’s the likely feedback for IVORY:- ‘C’ – Grey (Not in the word)
- ‘R’ – Grey (Not in the word)
- ‘A’ – Grey (Not in the word)
- ‘N’ – Grey (Not in the word)
- ‘E’ – Grey (Not in the word)
This is a tough start! All grey. This tells us IVORY uses none of these common letters. This immediately shifts our focus to less frequent letters and different vowels.
- Second Guess: Vowel Hunt and New Consonants
Since ‘A’ and ‘E’ are out, we need to target ‘I’, ‘O’, ‘U’. We also need new consonants. A good second guess could be AUDIO. It uses ‘A’, ‘U’, ‘D’, ‘I’, ‘O’.- ‘A’ – Grey (Confirmed not in word)
- ‘U’ – Grey (Not in the word)
- ‘D’ – Grey (Not in the word)
- ‘I’ – Green (Correct letter, correct position)
- ‘O’ – Yellow (Correct letter, wrong position)
Now we’re making progress! We know ‘I’ is in the second spot. ‘O’ is in the word but not in the fifth spot.
- Third Guess: Pinpointing ‘O’ and Finding New Letters
We have ‘I’ in position 2: _ I _ _ _. We know ‘O’ is in the word but not at the end. Let’s try to place ‘O’ and introduce more new consonants. How about FLICK? No, ‘I’ is already placed. Let’s try a word that places ‘O’ and brings in new letters. Consider PIOUS.- ‘P’ – Grey
- ‘I’ – Green (Confirmed in position 2)
- ‘O’ – Yellow (Still in the word, but not in position 3 or 5)
- ‘U’ – Grey
- ‘S’ – Grey
Okay, ‘O’ is still yellow. It’s not in position 3. We know it’s not in position 5 from AUDIO. So ‘O’ must be in position 1 or 4. We have _ I _ _ _.
- Fourth Guess: Narrowing Down and Uncommon Letters
We have ‘I’ in the second spot. ‘O’ is in the word, either first or fourth. We need to find the remaining letters. We haven’t tried ‘V’ or ‘Y’ yet, which are less common. Let’s try a word that places ‘O’ and introduces ‘V’ or ‘Y’. What about VOICE?- ‘V’ – Yellow (Correct letter, wrong position)
- ‘O’ – Green (Correct letter, correct position)
- ‘I’ – Green (Confirmed in position 2)
- ‘C’ – Grey
- ‘E’ – Grey
Excellent! Now we have ‘I’ in position 2, ‘O’ in position 3. We also know ‘V’ is in the word but not in position 1. So far: _ I O _ _. ‘V’ must be in position 1, 4, or 5. Since it’s not 1, it’s 4 or 5.
- Fifth Guess: The Solution Emerges
We have _ I O _ _. We know ‘V’ is in the word, not in position 1. It could be 4 or 5. We need one more letter. The word is IVORY. Let’s try to place ‘V’ and find the last letter. If ‘V’ is in position 1, then we have V I O _ _. If ‘V’ is in position 4, then _ I O V _. If ‘V’ is in position 5, then _ I O _ V.
Given ‘V’ was yellow from VOICE (meaning it’s not in position 1), it must be in position 4 or 5.
Let’s try DIVOT.- ‘D’ – Grey
- ‘I’ – Green (Confirmed)
- ‘V’ – Green (Correct letter, correct position)
- ‘O’ – Green (Confirmed)
- ‘T’ – Grey
Now we have _ I O V _. We know ‘V’ is in position 4. We have I O V. The first letter is missing. We need a letter that fits _ I O V _. The only remaining vowel is ‘Y’ or ‘U’. We haven’t tried ‘Y’.
The word is IVORY. - Sixth Guess: Victory!
With _ I O V _, and knowing ‘V’ is in position 4, we need a letter for the first spot and the last spot. We have ‘I’, ‘O’, ‘V’. The only letter left to try that makes sense is ‘Y’.
The solution is IVORY.
Dictionary Traps & Game Mechanic Analysis
Today’s Wordle, IVORY, is a classic example of how the game tests your vocabulary beyond common words. It’s not a word you see every day, and it contains some less frequent letters.
- Uncommon Letter Combination: ‘V’ and ‘Y’
The letters ‘V’ and ‘Y’ are not high-frequency letters in English. ‘V’ ranks around 15th, and ‘Y’ around 19th. Many players prioritize common letters like ‘E’, ‘A’, ‘R’, ‘O’, ‘T’, ‘L’, ‘I’, ‘N’, ‘S’. When these are eliminated, it forces a pivot to less common options. This is a deliberate design choice by the NYT Wordle team, including editor Tracy Bennett, to keep the game challenging. - Vowel Placement
The ‘I’ and ‘O’ are placed in the second and third positions. This is a common Wordle trick. Many words have vowels at the beginning or end, or alternating. Having two vowels side-by-side in the middle can be a subtle trap, especially if your starting words don’t reveal them early. - The ‘Y’ Ending
While many words end in ‘Y’ (e.g., “HAPPY”, “FUNNY”), it’s often preceded by a double consonant or a common vowel. In IVORY, the ‘Y’ follows ‘R’, which isn’t as common as ‘LY’ or ‘PY’. This can make it harder to predict. - Historical Context of the Word List
Josh Wardle, Wordle’s creator, originally curated a list of about 2,300 common 5-letter words. The New York Times, after acquiring the game, has made subtle changes, sometimes removing obscure words or adding others. Words like IVORY fit the NYT’s preference for words that are generally known but might not be top-of-mind, pushing players to think more broadly.
Today’s Answers & Breakdown
The solution for NYT Wordle #1742 on March 27, 2026, is IVORY.
| Guess Number | Word Guessed | Feedback (Green = Correct, Yellow = In Word, Grey = Not in Word) | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CRANE | ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ | Strong opener, but all letters were grey. This means we need to target less common letters and different vowels. |
| 2 | AUDIO | ⬜⬜⬜🟩🟨 | Introduced ‘U’, ‘D’, ‘I’, ‘O’. Found ‘I’ in the correct spot (2nd) and ‘O’ in the word (yellow). |
| 3 | PIOUS | ⬜🟩🟨⬜⬜ | Confirmed ‘I’ in 2nd. ‘O’ is still yellow, not in 3rd or 5th. So ‘O’ must be 1st or 4th. |
| 4 | VOICE | 🟨🟩🟩⬜⬜ | Found ‘V’ (yellow), ‘I’ (green), ‘O’ (green). ‘V’ is in the word but not 1st. ‘I’ is 2nd, ‘O’ is 3rd. So far: _ I O _ _. ‘V’ must be 4th or 5th. |
| 5 | DIVOT | ⬜🟩🟩🟩⬜ | Confirmed ‘I’ (2nd), ‘O’ (3rd), ‘V’ (4th). Now we have _ I O V _. Only the first and last letters are missing. |
| 6 | IVORY | 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 | With _ I O V _, and knowing ‘V’ is in 4th, the only logical fit for the remaining letters is ‘I’ for the first spot and ‘Y’ for the last. |
Frequently Asked Questions
- What makes ‘IVORY’ a challenging Wordle answer?
‘IVORY’ is challenging because it contains less common letters like ‘V’ and ‘Y’, and its vowel placement (‘I’ and ‘O’ together) can be tricky to deduce without good starting words. - Are there many 5-letter words with ‘V’ and ‘Y’ like ‘IVORY’?
No, words containing both ‘V’ and ‘Y’ are relatively rare in the English language, making ‘IVORY’ stand out and harder to guess through common letter patterns. - What’s a good strategy for Wordle puzzles with uncommon letters?
For puzzles with uncommon letters, a good strategy is to use diverse starting words that cover a wide range of vowels and common consonants, then pivot to less frequent letters like ‘V’, ‘Y’, ‘Z’, ‘X’, ‘Q’ once initial guesses yield many grey tiles.