Good morning, Wordlers! It's a new day and that means a brand spanking new puzzle to solve. While it's usually more satisfying to work it out all on your lonesome, sometimes you just get stuck. That's where we come in.

The answer to the July 5 Wordle, puzzle #381, can be found at the end of this article, with the spoiler clearly signposted. If you're not ready to find out the solution yet, read on for a few tips, gentle hints, and strategies to help you puzzle it out today and every day.

Who made Wordle? Where did Wordle come from?

Wordle's sudden explosion at the end of 2021 led to a round of press focused on its creator. Former Reddit engineer Josh Wardle actually came up with the game in 2021 as a private exercise for him and his word game-loving partner. It eventually became a staple of their family WhatsApp messaging, and that's when Wardle started to suspect he might have something special enough to merit a wider release.

So special, in fact, that the New York Timesbought it from him in early 2022. Hundreds of thousands of people now play it every day.

Not the day you're after? Here's the Wordleanswer for July 4.

Look to the future!Come on in for hints and a spoiler for July 6's solution.

What's the best Wordle starting word?

We have some ideas to help you pick the perfect first move (or as close to perfect as you can get without just magically guessing the exact right word). Such tips include choosing a word with at least two different vowels in it, plus a few common consonants such as S, T, R, or N.

Is Wordle getting harder?

If you've been finding Wordletoo easy, there is a Hard Mode you can enable to give yourself more of a challenge. But unless you activate this mode, we can assure you that Wordle isn't getting harder. (This past week has just happened to throw up some doozies, though, so don't beat yourself up too much if you broke your streak.)

Why are there two different Wordle answers some days?

The whole point of Wordleis that everyone's solving the same puzzle, with the same answer, no matter where you are in the world. However, occasionally the puzzle game will accept two different correct solutions on the same day, in apparent defiance of Wordlelaw.

This aberration is due to changes the New York Timesbegan making after it acquired Wordleearlier this year, removing obscure or potentially sensitive words from the original list Wardle put together. (For example, the word GAILY was originally scheduled to be a solution last week, but has been removed.) To make sure you're always getting the same puzzle as everyone else, refresh your browser before you play — don't worry, the site will keep your streak.

A subtle hint for the Wordle answer today:

It's a noun and a verb with a huge range of potential meanings, including ones to do with sports, agriculture, or even answering questions.

Wordle today is a 5-letter word that starts with...

The letter F!

• All the tips and tricks you could need to succeed at 'Wordle'
• Lewdle is the NSFW Wordle clone your dirty mind deserves
• 'Framed' and 'Actorle' are 'Wordle' alternatives for movie fans
• 14 of the best 'Wordle' clones, because one word a day isn't enough
• The solution to this puzzle is a QR code that could win you up to $1 million

What's the answer to the Wordle today?

Ready?

We're about to tell you the answer.

Today's word is...

FIELD.

Reporting by Caitlin Welsh, Amanda Yeo and Adam Rosenberg contributed to this article.