Counting down to Friday so you can count down to Saturday? Ditch the counting and embrace the comforting letter-nerdery of Wordle, which requires very little math. But if you're struggling with today's puzzle, we've got some clues and the solution, as we do every day.

If you just want today's word, you can jump straight to the end of this article for October 20's Wordle solution, for puzzle #488. If you'd rather work through it yourself, keep reading for some tips, tricks, and clues.

Where did Wordle come from?

Wordlewas initially created by engineer Josh Wardle as a gift for his partner, though it quickly spread until it became an international phenomenon. Thousands of players across the globe tackle Wordleeach day, with some fans even having created alternate versions of the daily word puzzle game. These include battle royale format Squabble, music identification game Heardle, and variations like Dordleand Quordlethat make you guess multiple words at once. 

The popularity of Wordleeven reached such heights that the New York Times bought it earlier this year, while TikTok creators live-stream themselves playing it.

What's the best Wordle starting word?

The goal of Wordleis to have fun, and there's no right way to have fun. Just choose whatever starting word feels right to you, and don't let anyone shame you for it. However, if you want to take a more strategic approach, we have a few ideas to help you pick a word that will spark joy. One tip is to select a word that includes at least two different vowels, plus some common consonants like S, T, R, or N.

What happened to the Wordle archive?

The entire archive of past Wordles used to be available for anyone to play in glorious days gone by. Unfortunately it has since been taken down, with the website's creator stating it was done at the request of the New York Times.

Is Wordle getting harder?

If you're finding Wordle too easy, you can try enabling its Hard Mode to give your brain a tougher challenge. But Wordleisn't getting any harder by itself — it's the same difficulty that it's always been. 

Why are there two different Wordle answers some days?

Wordle is a fun, collective experience specifically because everyone's solving for the same word every day. Occasionally, though, Wordlehas accepted two different solutions as correct on the same day. This is because the New York Timesmade changes to the Wordleword list after acquiring it, and sometimes swaps out words from the original list. To ensure you're getting the right answer every day, refresh your browser before you play — the site will save your streak.

Here's a subtle hint for today's Wordle answer:

It's usually (but not always) blue.

Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?

It does not!

Today's Wordle is a 5-letter word that starts with...

The letter... D.

What's the answer to Wordle today?

Get your guesses in — it's the last call before we reveal the answer to today's Wordle!

Are you ready?

The solution to Wordle #488 is...

DENIM.