On Sunday, February 22, 2026, the answer to the New York Times' Wordle puzzle #1709 left players reaching for their dictionaries—and maybe their fruit baskets. The word of the day? "GUAVA." For some, it was a refreshing twist; for others, a stumper that tested both their vocabulary and their patience.
Hints flooded the internet early that morning, with websites and social media accounts offering cryptic clues to nudge players along. According to Parade, the answer featured three vowels, two of which were the same. For those who like to break down the mechanics, that meant the word had a repeated letter—a detail confirmed by CNET, which specified, "Today's Wordle answer has one repeated letter." The word also started with a consonant and, as Rock Paper Shotgun described, ended with the letter "A."
But what truly set this puzzle apart was its fruity theme. As Parade noted, the answer was "a yellowish tropical fruit known for being sweet and slightly tangy." Rock Paper Shotgun went a step further, offering a little culinary trivia: "Guava is a small, round tropical fruit native to the Americas. They are typically yellow on the outside and pink or white on the inside. Their delicious flavor has made them popular in drinks, juices, desserts, and jams all around the world." For those who enjoy a side of science with their wordplay, that’s a pretty tasty fact.
Of course, the challenge of Wordle isn’t just about knowing your fruits. It’s about strategy, luck, and a bit of linguistic intuition. The New York Times’ own WordleBot, according to USA Today, recommends "CRANE" as the best starting word. Others, like "ADIEU," "STARE," and "ROAST," are also popular openers. But as Rock Paper Shotgun pointed out, if you started with "vague" on this particular day, you’d see four yellow tiles—a tantalizing hint, but not quite the jackpot.
Wordle, for those somehow still unacquainted, is a daily five-letter word guessing game created in 2021 by software engineer Josh Wardle. As Rock Paper Shotgun recounted, Wardle initially designed the game as a fun diversion for himself and his partner during the pandemic. The game’s simple design and social sharing features quickly propelled it into viral stardom, with millions playing daily by the end of the year. In January 2022, The New York Times acquired Wordle for a reported seven-figure sum—a move that cemented the game’s place in digital culture.
Since then, Wordle has become a daily ritual for many, often accompanied by a suite of other NYT puzzles like Connections, Strands, and the Mini Crossword. As Parade put it, "The day just isn’t complete until I’ve solved all of the free word games from the New York Times, including Connections, Connections Sports Edition, Strands, and Mini Crossword. And, of course, I can’t forget about Wordle, too!"
For those who crave even more challenge, there’s always "Hard Mode." As Rock Paper Shotgun explained, this setting requires players to use any revealed hints in all subsequent guesses—a rule that eliminates the common tactic of cycling through vowel-heavy words to test multiple letters. For the truly hardcore, there’s "Ultra-Hard" mode, a player-invented variant where every guess must be a possible answer based on the clues so far. If Wordle ever feels too easy (unlikely, given the day’s guava conundrum), there’s a whole world of spin-offs—Quordle, Dordle, Waffle, and even Worldle, which swaps out words for countries.
But back to the puzzle at hand. The specifics of Wordle #1709 were a bit of a moving target, with some sources offering slightly different hints. GamesRadar described the answer as having "three vowels," "four unique letters," and being a "tropical pink or white treasure." Meanwhile, PC Gamer suggested that "two of the letters, the only consonants, are not very popular letters in the alphabet." Yet, the consensus was clear: the answer started with "G," ended with "A," and was a fruit most commonly found in tropical climates.
There was even some confusion about the presence of double letters. Parade and CNET both referenced double or repeated letters, while GamesRadar specified "four unique letters." The answer, "GUAVA," indeed contains the letter "A" twice, making it a repeated vowel—a subtle twist that tripped up more than a few players. And as PC Gamer noted, "Today’s Wordle answer has two vowels, plus one is the repeated letter, so you will see that one twice."
The game’s mechanics remain as simple as ever: six guesses, color-coded feedback (green for correct letter and placement, yellow for correct letter but wrong spot, gray for not in the word), and a daily reset that keeps the entire world guessing in sync. For those who miss a day or want to revisit tricky past puzzles, unofficial Wordle archives exist, though The New York Times does not officially endorse them, as PC Gamer pointed out.
Some players have wondered if Wordle is getting harder. According to PC Gamer, The New York Times insists the difficulty has remained unchanged, though "some puzzles definitely feel trickier, especially when answers use uncommon letters or repeated ones." The guava puzzle certainly falls into that category—uncommon, a bit exotic, and just tricky enough to make even seasoned solvers sweat.
For those who did manage to guess "GUAVA," the victory was sweet—literally and figuratively. For everyone else, there’s always tomorrow’s puzzle, and a new opportunity to test their wits against five mysterious letters. As Wordle continues its reign as the internet’s favorite daily brain teaser, one thing is clear: whether you’re a fruit aficionado or just love a good word game, there’s always something juicy waiting in the next puzzle.
And if today’s answer left you hungry for more, don’t worry—Wordle and its many cousins will be back tomorrow with another challenge, another set of clues, and perhaps, another fruit.