Today’s Wordle #1945, featured in Erik Kain’s Forbes guide for October 16, 2026, challenged players with a five-letter word ending in “Y” meaning “not to be trusted.” The author shared his personal experience using the starting word “SNARE,” and compared it to the Wordle Bot’s popular starter “SLATE.” He narrowed the possibilities down to a few words, ultimately landing on the correct answer: “SHADY.” Kain also connected the word’s meaning to the figurative connotation of dishonesty or suspicion, tracing its etymology back to the Old English word for shadow and darkness.

The article also highlighted the 2XP Friday feature in Competitive Wordle, where points earned or lost are doubled, elevating the excitement and stakes for players participating in the daily competition. Kain reported his ongoing score advantage over Wordle Bot, with his tally at 20 points compared to the Bot’s negative score of -3, noting a particularly lucky streak in his guessing strategy. This competitive element keeps Wordle enthusiasts engaged beyond just solving the puzzle.

Additionally, Forbes included a bonus custom Wordle challenge with its own hint and clue, encouraging readers to keep sharpening their puzzle-solving skills. The hint for this extra puzzle involved a word associated with a spy and included a double letter. The inclusion of daily custom puzzles adds variety to the routine Wordle gameplay, providing an extra layer of fun for fans. Yesterday’s custom Wordle answer was “STREAM,” connecting players to a continuing series of daily challenges.

Finally, the article touched on recent developments from The New York Times, which launched a new suite of weekly bonus puzzles for subscribers and some freebies for non-subscribers. Kain shared links to his previous coverage and an interview with NYT Games chief Jonathan Knight, emphasizing the expanding puzzle game offerings. This ongoing evolution of the Wordle franchise and related games keeps the community lively and engaged with fresh, innovative content beyond the classic daily Wordle.