What is the best Hurdle starting word?

SLATE, CRANE, RAISE, ROAST, and TRAIN are strong openers because they cover common letters without repeats.

Should I read Hurdle hints before the answer?

Yes. The daily page is ordered from hints to reveal, so you can stop before the answer if you still want to solve it yourself.

◆ Merriam-Webster

Hurdle Hints, Answers & Strategy Guide

Five Wordles in sequence — each round seeds the next.

Hurdle is Merriam-Webster's daily word ladder: five Wordle-style rounds in sequence, where the answer to each round becomes your opening guess in the next, and a final round tests what you've pieced together. Consistency beats luck. A new ladder drops daily. TECHi keeps spoiler-safe hints and today's answers, yesterday's solutions, and an evergreen how-to-play guide.

Sunday, September 20, 2026

Jump straight to today's (September 20, 2026) hints Check yesterday

Today

Sunday

September 20, 2026

Check the date before opening a reveal. Today’s page is for active solving; yesterday’s page is for catching up without mixing spoilers.

◆ Three pages, one game

Pick your moment.

Open today’s hints when you are solving now, jump to yesterday if you missed a day, or use the guide when you want rules and strategy.

Catching up? Here are the most recent solutions.

Recent Hurdle answers
Date	Puzzle	Answer
Sat, Sep 19, 2026	Hurdle — September 19, 2026	SLANG, AVAST, PAGAN, PECAN, MERRY.
Fri, Sep 18, 2026	Hurdle	DECOY, DRAMA, GOOEY, REBAR, WAVER
Thu, Sep 17, 2026	Hurdle	PROWL, EXULT, MINUS, COMBO, QUALM
Wed, Sep 16, 2026	Hurdle	TYING, SMIRK, FIFTY, SLIDE, ABACK
Tue, Sep 15, 2026	Hurdle	ZOOMS, GIRTH, ODDER, ISSUE, SIXTH
Mon, Sep 14, 2026	Hurdle	STRAY, RHYME, AXING, EERIE, PIGGY
Sun, Sep 13, 2026	Hurdle	CURVY, GROUP, MOOSE, HOMER, PROBE.
Sat, Sep 12, 2026	Hurdle	EVERY, VAULT, VIDEO, SUING, SHOOK.
Fri, Sep 11, 2026	Hurdle	CATTY, DILLY, AMEND, ETUDE, HOLLY.
Thu, Sep 10, 2026	Hurdle	EXALT, SHEAR, BOTCH, GULCH, CRAZE.
Wed, Sep 9, 2026	Hurdle	CREST, FANCY, BEING, HAZEL, THUMB.
Tue, Sep 8, 2026	Hurdle	OBESE, ALLOW, ADMIT, MATCH, TREAD.
Mon, Sep 7, 2026	Hurdle	AGING, STOOD, WIDEN, CLERK, TOTAL.
Sun, Sep 6, 2026	Hurdle	BRUIN, BEGET, GRIFT, UNITE, ALLOT.

◆ Strategy

How to Win at Hurdle

The best daily word-game routine is simple: test common letters, protect your remaining guesses, and only chase repeated letters after the board gives you evidence.

Open with balanced letters

Use an opener with common consonants and at least two vowels so the second guess has real information.

Play the pattern, not the word list

Green letters fix the frame. Yellow letters tell you where not to look. Build the next guess from those constraints first.

Delay double letters

Repeated letters can win a late board, but early repeats usually waste coverage unless a clue strongly points there.

Best starting words

Best Hurdle starting words
Word	Why it works
SLATE	Covers two vowels and three high-frequency consonants.
CRANE	Tests common consonants while keeping A and E in play.
RAISE	A vowel-heavy opener that still checks R and S.
ROAST	Useful when you want O plus a common ending consonant pattern.
TRAIN	Checks T, R, and N early without repeating letters.

◆ FAQ

Hurdle questions, answered

What is the best Hurdle starting word?: SLATE, CRANE, RAISE, ROAST, and TRAIN are strong openers because they cover common letters without repeats.
Should I read Hurdle hints before the answer?: Yes. The daily page is ordered from hints to reveal, so you can stop before the answer if you still want to solve it yourself.

More Daily Puzzles

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