Today’s NYT Wordle for Friday, August 21, 2026, is puzzle #1889. Today’s answer is a familiar five-letter word with several everyday meanings, which can make the final solution less obvious even after a few letters are confirmed.
Use the four progressive Wordle hints below one at a time before revealing today’s answer.
Today’s Wordle hints for August 21
- Hint 1: Today’s answer contains five different letters with no repeats.
- Hint 2: The word contains two standard vowels.
- Hint 3: It can be used as both a noun and a verb.
- Hint 4: It can mean to copy an image by following its visible lines through transparent paper.
Difficulty level: Easy to moderate. The answer uses common letters and has no repeats, but its several possible meanings may cause players to consider other words before finding the correct one.
Solving tip: If you already have several common letters, think about five-letter words that can describe both an action and a faint sign or small amount. Multiple meanings are a useful clue in today’s puzzle.
Try the Wordle practice game: Enter any five-letter word below. Green means the letter is correct and in the right position, yellow means it appears elsewhere, and grey means it is not in today’s answer.
Today’s Wordle answer for August 21
Click to reveal the answer for Wordle #1889
Today’s Wordle answer is TRACE.
Trace can mean to copy a drawing, image or pattern by placing transparent material over it and following the visible lines underneath.
The word also has several other common meanings. To trace something can mean to follow its route, history or origin, while a trace can describe a very small amount or faint sign that something was present.
The spelling is T-R-A-C-E. It contains the vowels A and E, and none of the five letters is repeated.
Example sentence: She used transparent paper to trace the outline of the picture.
Players can attempt the official daily puzzle and review their statistics on the New York Times Wordle page.













