Wordle #497 Answer, Clues and Hints for Saturday, October 29 Puzzle

When Wordle was first released to the public in October 2021, New York-based web developer Josh Wardle probably did not anticipate the global sensation it would become.

Yet, a year later, the game's popularity shows little sign of abating.

Part of Wordle's appeal is undoubtably its simplicity, meaning it can be played by word puzzle veterans and novices alike. Each day the player has to work out a new five letter word in six attempts or less.

After each guess the letters light up telling the player how accurate it was. If a letter goes green, it is both in the word and in the correct place. Yellow means the letter features, but not where you have put it, whilst gray indicates it is not in the word at all.

Speaking to Newsweek in January Wardle, originally from the U.K., explained why his game is based around five letter words.

He said: "There is a reason that every word is 5 letters long and that you are allowed six attempts to guess it. That might seem arbitrary but, with the prototype version, I tested different word lengths and experimented with the number of tries that players were allowed.

"Through that process of refinement, I figured out that five letters and six tries was the ideal sweet spot. It's just limited enough to feel challenging and to make you think, but most of the time people still manage to solve it. So, you feel a real sense of real accomplishment."

In January Wordle was purchased by the New York Times, though it remains free to play.

Wordle's viral popularity has helped inspire a number of other word puzzles, including Worldle and Nerdle.

The answer to today's puzzle will be revealed at the end of this article, so scroll down with caution if you want to work it out for yourself. To help you solve today's Wordle, Newsweek has provided some hints and tips on the latest puzzle.

'Wordle' #497 Tips and Clues for Saturday, October 29

Wordle players can use these five hints to solve puzzle #497.

Hint #1: The word contains two vowels.

Hint #2: The first and last letters are the same.

Hint #3: Synonyms for today's word include 'defamation' and 'smear.'

Hint #4: The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines today's answer as "a written or oral defamatory statement or representation that conveys an unjustly unfavorable impression."

Hint #5: There are few more terrifying words for a journalist. Except perhaps 'deadline.'

'Wordle' #497 Answer for Saturday, October 29

The answer to today's Wordle is "Libel."

The next Wordle puzzle will be available at 7 p.m. ET, when the daily update occurs.

Correction 11/21/22: This article was updated to correct Hint #1 as having two vowels.