Improve your daily Wordle with our general tips, designed to help you make the most of even the trickiest situation. Or if you like the idea of more specific help, take a look at a brand new clue for the August 21 (1159) game instead. Need something more specific than that? Then click your way to today's Wordle answer and enjoy a guaranteed Wednesday win.

This was a real game of extremes for me today. I found nothing on the first row. Nothing at all. But by the third, I'd suddenly got it all. I'm not even sure why today's answer popped into my head, really. Maybe I was just lucky my second guess nudged me in that direction. The good news is you don't have to be lucky—our hints and tips are here to help.

Today’s Wordle hint

Wordle today: A hint for Wednesday, August 21

This organic substance is spread on top of soil to help it retain moisture and improve its overall quality. Leaves and straw, amongst other things, are a common component.  

Is there a double letter in Wordle today? 

No, there is no double letter in today's puzzle. 

Wordle help: 3 tips for beating Wordle every day 

Playing Wordle well is like achieving a small victory every day—who doesn't like a well-earned winning streak in a game you enjoy? If you're new to the daily word game, or just want a refresher, I'm going to share a few quick tips to help set you on the path to success: 

• You want a balanced mix of unique consonants and vowels in your opening word. 
• A solid second guess helps to narrow down the pool of letters quickly.
• The answer could contain letters more than once.

There's no time pressure beyond making sure it's done by the end of the day. If you're struggling to find the answer or a tactical word for your next guess, there's no harm in coming back to it later on. 

Today’s Wordle answer

What is today's Wordle answer?

Here's the word you've been looking for. The answer to the August 21 (1159) Wordle is MULCH.

Previous Wordle answers

The last 10 Wordle answers 

Knowing previous Wordle solutions can be helpful in eliminating current possibilities. It's unlikely a word will be repeated and you can find inspiration for guesses or starting words that may be eluding you. 

Here are some recent Wordle answers:

• August 20: DELAY
• August 19: METER
• August 18: LANKY
• August 17: STORM
• August 16: BRACE
• August 15: ACORN
• August 14: SHORE
• August 13: NEIGH
• August 12: SKIFF
• August 11: SCONE

Learn more about Wordle 

Wordle gives you six rows of five boxes each day, and it's your job to work out which five-letter word is hiding by eliminating or confirming the letters it contains.

Starting with a strong word like LEASH—something containing multiple vowels, common consonants, and no repeat letters—is a good place to start. Once you hit Enter, the boxes will show you which letters you've got right or wrong. If a box turns ⬛️, it means that letter isn't in the secret word at all. 🟨 means the letter is in the word, but not in that position. 🟩 means you've got the right letter in the right spot.

Your second go should compliment the starting word, using another “good” guess to cover any common letters you missed last time while also trying to avoid any letter you now know for a fact isn't present in today's answer.  After that, it's just a case of using what you've learned to narrow your guesses down to the right word. You have six tries in total and can only use real words (so no filling the boxes with EEEEE to see if there's an E). Don't forget letters can repeat too (ex: BOOKS). 

If you need any further advice feel free to check out our Wordle tips, and if you'd like to find out which words have already been used, you can scroll to the relevant section above.

Originally, Wordle was dreamed up by software engineer Josh Wardle, as a surprise for his partner who loves word games. From there it spread to his family, and finally got released to the public. The word puzzle game has since inspired tons of games like Wordle, refocusing the daily gimmick around music or math or geography. It wasn't long before Wordle became so popular it was sold to the New York Times for seven figures. Surely it's only a matter of time before we all solely communicate in tricolor boxes.