Wordle 538 infuriates players with tricky word, 'Totally rubbish and very sneaky of Wordle'

Wordle 578 has confused a number of players with an uncommon word, but what is the meaning and definition of today's tricky challenge?

Elude - Phrazle takes Wordle to the next level, here a woman plays Wordle on her smartphone from the living room of her home using just three guesses
(Image credit: photo by Mike Kemp/In Pictures via Getty Images)

A certain word has infuriated a number of Wordle players who struggled to solve a particularly uncommon five-letter word on Monday, January 23, 2023.

Wordle players have been totally stumped by yet another tricky five-letter word as the game makers at the New York Times challenged players to solve an unfamiliar word.

This isn't the first time players have been thrown a curveball - as words such as; leerycoylyquart, and agape have caused a lot of frustration for fans in the past. However, this challenge on January 23, posed a particularly hard challenge for fans.

**Warning! There are spoilers ahead, so don't read on if you have yet to play the game!**

wordle trick

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The answer for the Wordle challenge on January 18 was 'elude'. Players who struggled to solve this challenge took to social media to complain about the difficulty of this game.

"Wordle 583 X/6 Ugh. This was so obvious. Lots of losses lately," said one frustrated player. "#wordle583 Wordle 583 6/6* That was a disaster. Not simple or easy. Fairly common though. Bad kind of double trouble. Good luck fellow wordlers," said anotehr.

"Wordle 583 X/6 Totally rubbish and very sneaky of Wordle ( just wasn’t thinking )," joked a third.

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Some complained that it was the trickiest word they had encountered for a long while. "First time that's happened for about two or three months. I'll probably sulk all day. Harrumph. Wordle 583 X/6," said one player.

Others simply complained it was too hard. "Wordle 583 6/6 Eeek. Hard one," said one player."Another hard one Wordle 583 4/6*" said another.

Other players simply joked about the word eluding them. "Wordle 583 X/6 Not the word eluding me,"joked one player.

Elude Meaning

Many players struggled with this challenge because they were simply unfamiliar with this term. The word is not particularly common in everyday life, so what does the word elude mean?

The dictionary defines the word elude as a verb meaning, 'to escape from or avoid (a danger, enemy, or pursuer), typically in a skilful or cunning way.' Synonyms of this word might be; dodge, evade, avoid, or flee.

Alternatively, the word also means something that one fails to achieve, for example; "sleep still eluded her." Or failed to be understood or remembered, for example, '"the logic of this eluded most people."

The word is sometimes confused with the word 'allude' which means; 'to suggest or call attention to indirectly; hint at.' For example, you could say, 'she had a way of alluding to Jean but never saying her name.'

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If you struggled to solve this Wordle challenge, don't worry, you are not alone! This was a particularly tough challenge that stumped a lot of players. However, if you want to improve at this game, there are a number of Wordle hacks and Wordle tricks, that may help.

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 players on their toes!

Laura Harman

Laura is the Entertainment Editor for woman&home who primarily covers television, film, and celebrity news. Laura loves drinking and eating and can often be found trying to get reservations at London's trendiest restaurants. When she's not wining and dining, Laura can also be found travelling, baking, and hiking with her dog.