'Wordle' today: Here's the answer, hints for July 22

It's Friday, and if you're in love, congrats! And if you're in the four-guesses-down-and-starting-to-panic zone, you must be tackling today's Wordle. If you're finding today's a little tough to nail down, never fear. All you need is a little nudge in the right direction, and we're here to help.

The answer to the July 22 Wordle, puzzle #398, can be found at the end of this article, or you can simply read on for a few tips, gentle hints, and strategies to help you every day.

Where did Wordle come from?

Former Reddit engineer Josh Wardle 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.

Thousands of people around the globe now play this game each day, and fans have even created alternatives to Wordle inspired by the original format. This includes music identification game Heardle, Hollywood nerd faves Actorle and Framed, and variations like Dordle and Quordle that make you guess multiple words at once.

Not the day you're after? You'll find the Wordle answer for July 21 here.

What's the best Wordle starting word?

We have some ideas to help you pick the perfect first move. Such tips include choosing a word with at least two different vowels to rule those building blocks in or out, plus a few common consonants such as S, T, R, or N.

Also, even if you're attached to your mathematically sound starter, once it's been the answer on any given day it won't be the answer again for a few years — so if you happen to get the elusive 1/6 result, celebrate by swapping out your starting five.

What happened to the Wordle archive?

While you could once play the entire archive of past puzzles, the archive was taken down at the request of the New York Times, according to the site's creator.

Is Wordle getting harder?

If you've been finding Wordle too 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. 

Why are there two different Wordle answers some days?

The whole point of Wordle is 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. This aberration is due to changes the New York Times began making after it acquired Wordle earlier this year, excising words form Wardle's original list that the team considers obscure or potentially offensive.

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 on July 22

It's a bit old-fashioned, and has to do with romance. (Ooooh.)

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

...the letter T!

Does today's Wordle word have a double letter?

Yes! One letter appears twice.

Wordle today: What's the answer?

Ready?

It's time to reveal the solution.

It's...

TRYST.

Cheeky, cheeky! TRYST, meaning a private meeting of lovers, is the rare Wordle solution with no traditional vowels. This can help narrow things down if you dutifully rule out all five early on — while there aren't a whole lot of common five-letter words whose only vowel is Y, it's worth remembering that next time one of these sneaky fellas has you stumped.

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

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to today's Wordle.