Key facts (read this first)
- Today’s Wordle (#1562) answer for Sunday, Sept. 28, 2025 is GOOEY. Multiple outlets confirm it. 1
- Clue & structure: starts with G, contains a repeated “O”, has two distinct vowels, and means sticky/thick. 1
- Yesterday’s answer (#1561) was FRITZ, a tougher pull that tripped many players. 2
- Reset time: Wordle refreshes at midnight local time on your device, and the daily answer is the same for everyone. 3
- What’s new around NYT Games:
- NYT launched Pips (domino‑logic daily) on Aug. 18, 2025. 4
- Mini Crossword moved behind a paywall in late August; Tiles and Letter Boxed followed. 5
- NYT is testing Crossplay, a Scrabble‑style multiplayer app; 2024 NYT puzzles saw 11.1B plays (Wordle 5.3B). 6
- NYT added a Wordle Archive for subscribers in 2024—play 1,000+ past puzzles. 7
- Wordle is now an official Discord Activity (same daily answer as the NYT site/app). 8
Today’s puzzle at a glance (mild spoilers first)
One‑line clue: Sticky, thick. If you suspected a texture word with a doubled vowel, you were on the right track. Today’s Wordle is GOOEY. 1
If you like to reveal slowly, PC Gamer’s hint ladder matches today’s pattern: repeated letter (yes), two vowels (yes), and it begins with “G.” 1
Spoiler—Full Answer: GOOEY (Wordle #1562, Sept. 28, 2025). 1
Context: After Saturday’s tricky FRITZ (#1561), a term many associate with things “on the fritz,” today’s texture‑word should feel friendlier—once you clock the double O. 2
How to solve #1562 efficiently (and win more often)
1) Respect repeats. Many players burn guesses “chasing new letters,” but today’s repeated “O” rewarded those who tested doubles early (e.g., GOODY/GOO… scaffolds). 1
2) Start smart. NYT’s WordleBot has shifted its top openers over time; credible trackers note TRACE / SLATE / CRANE among the best all‑around openers (with TROPE often cited for hard mode). The exact ranking changes as the corpus evolves, but these remain elite. 9
3) Play the vowels, then place them. For vowel‑heavy words like GOOEY, confirming O/E early and then fixing positions—_G_O_E_Y patterns—cuts the solution tree quickly. General tutorials agree Wordle resets at midnight local, so time your routine to protect streaks. 2
4) Remember the game’s spirit. “I just wanted a game that was three minutes of your time a day,” creator Josh Wardle said—a reminder to keep guesses focused and fun. 10
What changed around Wordle & NYT Games this month (news you can use)
- Pips launched (Aug. 18, 2025): A daily domino‑logic puzzle with numeric/region rules—very different from vocabulary games, and available across web and apps. 4
- Mini Crossword paywalled (Aug. 27–28, 2025): The formerly free Mini now requires a Games subscription (as do Tiles and Letter Boxed), prompting broad community reaction. 5
- Crossplay (beta): NYT’s Scrabble‑like multiplayer app is testing in New Zealand; NYT says 2024 puzzles saw 11.1B plays, with Wordle alone at 5.3B, underscoring why games are a strategic focus. 6
- Wordle Archive (subscriber feature): Rolled out in 2024; lets you replay 1,000+ past Wordles—great for practice. 7
- Wordle on Discord: Official Activity, licensed by NYT; it’s the same daily puzzle you see on the website/app—handy for group solves. 8
- Subscriptions: NYT recently added family plans (including a Games Family option) to broaden access. 11
NYT’s own team describes its guiding principle: “When we bought Wordle, our main mission was ‘don’t break anything.’” — Zoe Bell, NYT Games executive producer. 12
Comparing Wordle with today’s other viral puzzles
Wordle (NYT, 2021→): Guess a 5‑letter word in 6 tries; one shared puzzle per day; resets at midnight local; still free to play (premium features like WordleBot/Archive are subscriber extras). NYT acquired Wordle in Jan. 2022 for a “low seven‑figures.” 3
Connections (NYT): Group 16 words into 4 categories (green→purple difficulty). Now a flagship hit—rolled out widely in 2023 and remains NYT’s second‑most‑played game after Wordle. Sports Edition launched Feb. 9, 2025 with The Athletic (Super Bowl LIX). 13
Strands (NYT): A daily bendy word‑search with a hidden “spangram”; beta arrived March 2024, and usage surged as it joined the Games app. 14
Pips (NYT, 2025): New daily logic (domino) puzzle—letters out, numbers/rules in. If you like the deduction of Sudoku more than vocabulary, this is for you. 4
Quordle / Octordle (Merriam‑Webster & partners): Community‑driven Wordle‑likes that scale difficulty—solve 4 at once in 9 tries (Quordle) or 8 at once in 13 tries (Octordle). Merriam‑Webster acquired Quordle in 2023; Britannica hosts Octordle. 15
Strategy corner: what top solvers (and the data) recommend
- Opening words: Independent trackers show TRACE, SLATE, CRANE consistently grade near the top with WordleBot’s methodology; pick one and stick with it to reduce guess variance. 16
- Hard‑mode nuance: If you enjoy constraints, TROPE is a commonly cited hard‑mode opener; but any top‑tier start works if you apply feedback rigorously. 9
- Evidence‑based play: Beyond folk wisdom, computer‑science and math studies have analyzed Wordle’s complexity and human bias—Wordle’s decision problem is NP‑hard, and people tend to stick too closely to prior guesses’ forms. Knowing this can help you avoid tunnel vision. 17
Jonathan Knight, NYT’s Head of Games, on the much‑requested Archive: “We have been hearing from users it’s top of list among their requested features.” 18
Culture & business: why Wordle still matters
Wordle’s one‑puzzle‑a‑day scarcity keeps it social and lightweight. As creator Josh Wardle put it, “a game that just asks for three minutes of your time.” That design choice helped the Times’ acquisition bring “tens of millions of new users”into its ecosystem, accelerating the company’s games strategy—now bolstered by new titles and subscription bundles. 10
Quick FAQ
When does Wordle reset? Midnight local time (your device’s clock). TechRadar
Is Wordle still free? Yes. Optional features like WordleBot and the Archive are for Games subscribers. The Verge
Where can I play with friends? Try the official Discord Activity—same daily puzzle, built‑in sharing. 8
Sources & expert voices cited in this report
- Today’s answer & hints: PC Gamer, Economic Times, Parade. 1
- Yesterday’s answer: Tom’s Guide. 2
- Reset time & rules: Tom’s Guide/TechRadar explain the midnight‑local reset and core rules. 3
- NYT Games developments: Pips launch (TechRadar); Crossplay beta & 2024 plays (The Verge); Wordle Archive (The Verge/TechCrunch); NYT family plans (Axios); Mini/Tiles/Letter Boxed paywall change (People, PC Gamer, Kotaku). 4
- Quotes: Wardle (GameDeveloper); Zoe Bell (The Verge); Jonathan Knight (Fast Company). 10
- Strategy / best openers: TechRadar, Tom’s Guide. 19
- Comparators: Quordle acquisition (TechCrunch); Octordle (Britannica).
“When we bought Wordle, our main mission was ‘don’t break anything.’” — Zoe Bell, NYT Games. That’s still the north star—today’s gooey solve and the broader Games rollout show an ecosystem expanding, not replacing, the daily five‑letter ritual.
