Stuck on today’s Wordle? If you want to solve first, try the hints below; if you’re ready to see the solution, jump to the answer section. You can play or check your board at the official Wordle page on the New York Times site at nytimes.com/games/wordle.

Wordle #1556 hints (September 22)

  • There’s exactly one letter that appears twice.
  • The puzzle uses two vowels.
  • The word starts with Q.
  • Positions four and five are the same letter.
  • Think old-school writing tools made from a stiff feather.

Today’s Wordle answer

QUILL.

A “quill” is a large, rigid wing or tail feather, historically used as a pen.

Why today’s puzzle may feel tougher

Opening with Q is uncommon in English and can bottleneck first guesses, especially if you don’t test U early. The double-L ending further narrows viable options. Testers rated today’s game moderately challenging, taking an average of 4.8 guesses to land the solution.

Yesterday’s answer

COVEN.

Recent Wordle answers

  • Sept. 20 (#1554): DEFER
  • Sept. 19 (#1553): LATER
  • Sept. 18 (#1552): KNIFE
  • Sept. 17 (#1551): TEETH

When the next puzzle goes live

Wordle updates daily at midnight in your local time zone. Tomorrow’s game will be #1557.