August is finally here. You’ve probably sat down with your morning coffee, opened that familiar grid, and stared blankly at the yellow and gray tiles. If you're struggling with the August 1 Wordle answer, you are definitely not alone. This one had a bit of a "twang" to it that felt a little different from the usual vowels we hunt for.
Honestly, it wasn’t the hardest word the New York Times has ever thrown at us. But it wasn't a "slump" or "crane" kind of morning either.
💡 You might also like: Who’s Really Behind the Cast of 12 to Midnight: Why the Voices Sound So Familiar
What was the August 1 Wordle answer?
Let's just get the spoiler out of the way before we talk strategy. The August 1 Wordle answer was BANJO.
It’s a great word. It’s fun to say. It’s even more fun to play if you’re into bluegrass. But in a game of Wordle? It can be a nightmare because of that "J" hiding in the middle and the "O" hanging out at the end.
Why BANJO was a tricky one
Most of us have a routine. You probably start with something like "ADIEU" or "STARE." If you used "ADIEU," you caught the "A" and the "O" early, which is a massive win. But if you're a "STARE" or "ROATE" devotee, you likely spent your first three guesses wondering why nothing was turning green.
The letter "J" is statistically one of the least frequent letters in the English language.
When you see a "J" in a five-letter word, your brain doesn't naturally go there until you’ve exhausted almost every other consonant. You’re looking for "L," "R," "N," or "T." You aren't looking for a folk instrument.
A look at the stats for Puzzle #1504
Today was Wordle #1504. According to some of the early data from WordleBot—the NYT’s own analytical tool—the average player took about 4.2 guesses to find the word. That’s slightly higher than the typical average of 3.8 to 4.0.
- Vowels: 2 (A, O)
- Repeated letters: 0
- Difficulty rating: Moderate
The real "streak killer" today was the "B" and the "J" combination. If you got the "A," "N," and "O" into place, you might have been tempted to guess "MANGO" or "CANGO" (is that even a word? No, but we've all tried weird stuff in a panic).
💡 You might also like: Why hitting 1 million Discord notifications is the ultimate internet status symbol
How to handle words like BANJO in the future
If you're tired of losing your streak to words with rare letters, you've gotta change the way you think about your fourth guess.
By the time you hit guess four, if you have the vowels but the consonants aren't clicking, stop trying to solve the word. Seriously. Use a "burn" word.
A burn word is a guess specifically designed to eliminate as many rare consonants as possible. Think of a word like "JUMPS" or "BLOCK." You aren't trying to get the right answer; you're trying to see if that "J" or "B" exists.
It feels like a waste of a turn, but it saves your streak. Every single time.
Interesting facts about the word BANJO
We don't just play for the green squares; we play for the trivia, right? The banjo actually has deep roots in African American history, evolving from instruments brought over by enslaved people from West Africa. It became a staple of American folk and bluegrass much later.
In the context of Wordle, "BANJO" is a perfect example of a "high-entropy" word. It uses letters that provide a lot of information if they turn green, but they are very unlikely to appear in the first place.
Keeping your Wordle streak alive
If you managed to snag the August 1 Wordle answer in three tries, you should probably go buy a lottery ticket. Or at least brag about it in the group chat. If it took you six, or if you failed entirely, don't sweat it.
Tomorrow is a new grid.
For the next time you're stuck, remember to look at the structure. Words ending in "O" that aren't plural are relatively rare in Wordle's curated list. You'll see things like "PIANO," "PHOTO," or "BANJO," but not "AUTOS" or "ECHOS" (usually).
Your next steps for Wordle mastery
- Review your starters: If "ARISE" isn't working for you lately, try "PLATE" or "CHALK" to shake up your consonant hunt.
- Check the archive: If you missed today’s game, you can usually find unofficial archives online to practice.
- Don't overthink the "J": It's rarely the answer, but when it is, it's usually in a word you know well.
Keep your eyes on the "B" and "N" patterns for the rest of the week; the NYT editors sometimes like to cluster similar phonetic sounds in a single month.