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I'm an English major and an author, and I think I have a pretty good vocabulary. But today's Wordle puzzle stumped me! I know a word that contains today's word, but I did not know it was a word by itself. The letters aren't super common, and I would almost never place this particular starting letter in the first spot. If you need a new starter word, check out our list of which letters show up the most in English words. If you need hints and the answer, read on.
Read more: New Study Reveals Wordle's Top 10 Toughest Words of 2025
Today's Wordle hints
Before we show you today's Wordle answer, we'll give you some hints. If you don't want a spoiler, look away now.
Wordle hint No. 1: Repeats
Today's Wordle answer has no repeated letters.
Wordle hint No. 2: Vowels
Today's Wordle answer has two vowels.
Wordle hint No. 3: First letter
Today's Wordle answer begins with U.
Wordle hint No. 4: Last letter
Today's Wordle answer ends with A.
Wordle hint No. 5: Meaning
Today's Wordle answer is an astronomy term referring to the darkest part of a shadow cast during an eclipse.
TODAY'S WORDLE ANSWER
Today's Wordle answer is UMBRA.
What does UMBRA mean?
Today's Wordle answer is UMBRA. NASA defines it as "the darkest, central part of a shadow cast by a celestial body, such as the moon or Earth, where light is completely blocked. In astronomy, it is the region of totality during a solar eclipse, while in physics, it represents a perfect shadow."
This might be the only Wordle answer that I don't think I have ever once heard before. I knew the word "penumbra," which refers to "the lighter, partial shadow surrounding the umbra during an eclipse," although I had to look up the definition. But I didn't know "umbra."
The word umbra is a tough one to solve thanks to the rarity of the M and B, plus the fact that it begins with a U -- I never think to place the letter U in the first spot.
My co-worker immediately thought of Umbreon, a Pokemon character!
Yesterday's Wordle answer
Yesterday's Wordle answer, May 7, No. 1783, was BUDGE.
Recent Wordle answers
May 3, No. 1779: PUFFY
May 4, No. 1780: RISER
May 5, No. 1781: LATCH
May 6, No. 1782: LIKEN
What's the best Wordle starting word?
Don't be afraid to use our tip sheet ranking all the letters in the alphabet by frequency of uses. In short, you want starter words that lean heavy on E, A and R, and don't contain Z, J and Q.
Some solid starter words to try:
ADIEU
TRAIN
CLOSE
STARE
NOISE
