Twang- Wordle players struggle to solve the puzzle as another 'Stupid word' crops up

The word 'twang' stumped a number of wordle players who were unable to solve this tricky challenge because of the word's unusual format.

Wordle has been known to throw players a few curveballs, and words such as; gruel, patty, coyly, and quart have caused a lot of frustration for fans in the past.

On Thursday, August 18, 2022, the New York Times threw yet another curveball at fans when the five-letter-word 'twang' appeared as the puzzle answer. Many fans were frustrated with this turn of events and many took to social media to complain about this choice of words. 

"Wordle 425 4/6* Wordle! What sort of word is this!? You’re not making it easy these days #Wordle #Wordle425," said one frustrated player.

"Seriously NYT? What sort of idiot word is this? Wordle 425 5/6," said another player.

"Oh Wordle...you almost got me girl! #11thhourinsomnia 425 6/6," said one player who only solved the puzzle by the skin of their teeth.

"OK but I'd argue this isn't actually a word Wordle 425 X/6," said one player who wasn't convinced that 'twang' was a real word. 

Twang meaning

Many players were unable to solve this word because they were unfamiliar with the word 'twang'. So what does this unusual word actually mean?

The Oxford dictionary defines the word 'twang' as, 'a strong ringing sound such as that made by the plucked string of a musical instrument or a released bowstring'. To use the word in a sentence you could say, 'he twanged the guitar string'.

However, the word 'twang' also has different meanings and can apply to a variation in an accent. Another definition of the word is, 'a nasal or another distinctive manner of pronunciation or intonation characteristic of the speech of an individual, area, or country'. For example, you could say that someone had an accent with an 'American twang.'

The word 'twang' can also be used to describe a flavor and is interchangeable with the word 'tang' in some circumstances. The word means 'a persisting flavor, taste, or odor,' and is commonly associated with a bitter taste or scent.

If you struggled to solve this Wordle challenge, don't worry, you are not alone! There are a number of Wordle hacks and Wordle tricks, that may help you improve at this game.

If you fancy something a little different instead, there are a number of Wordle alternatives that are just like Wordle, but with a slightly different twist to keep things interesting!