FLUKE
Yes, FLUKE was the Wordle answer on March 1, 2026 (Wordle #1716).
Meaning and pronunciation
Pronunciation: /fluːk//fluk//fljuːk/
- Noun
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A lucky or improbable occurrence that could probably never be repeated.
“We've classified by a fluke; actually, the first goal was just a total fluke.”
- Verb
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To obtain a successful outcome by pure chance.
“I fluked a pass in the multiple-choice exam.”
- Verb
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To fortuitously pot a ball in an unintended way.
“He fluked the other red into the middle pocket, despite the double kiss.”
- Noun
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A summer flounder (Paralichthys dentatus)
Source: Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0. Corrections.
Etymology
Mid-16th century in the sense of “anchor blade”. Probably the same word as in etymology 2 above or else a related word for something flat (cf. Proto-Germanic *flakaz). A derivation from Middle Low German vlögel (“wing”), from Proto-Germanic *flugilaz, seems phonetically impossible. If anything, related vlōch, vlucht (“flight”, both also “wing”) or even *vlunke (modern Low German Flunk (“wing, pinion”)) are more plausible candidates.
Source: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA)
How it sounds
One syllable Say it FLOOK.
Rhymes with SPOOK
In a sentence
That was just a fluke.
I thought it was a fluke.
Use FLUKE in a puzzle
As an opener, it rules out about 90.1% of possible answers.
Wordle status
A word can be a playable guess without being a possible answer.
Playable guess
YesIncluded in the Wordle guess list used by our tools.
Possible answer
YesIncluded among the answers considered by the solver.
Past Wordle answer
Used oncePast Wordle answer: March 1, 2026 (#1716).
See the full page for that puzzle: March 1, 2026 (#1716).
The possible-answer list is the solver's current list and may change when Wordle adds new answers.
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See what the public sample says →FLUKE in Connections
5 recorded appearances in completed main-edition puzzles through . A category label alone does not establish a word's meaning.
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· Puzzle #920
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FLUKE appeared in BIBLICAL FIGURES PLUS STARTING LETTER (purple group).
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· Puzzle #858
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FLUKE appeared in FISH (blue group).
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· Puzzle #708
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FLUKE appeared in FEATURES OF A TOOTHED WHALE (blue group).
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· Puzzle #552
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FLUKE appeared in FISH (yellow group).
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· Puzzle #395
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FLUKE appeared in FISH (blue group).
How FLUKE performs as a guess
FLUKE is a possible answer, so it would solve about one game in 2,384 when every answer is treated as equally likely.
Played as an opener, it lands at least one colored tile in 76.9% of games, misses completely in 23.1%, and leaves about 237 possible answers on average.
In the previous complete opener benchmark, it ranks #9,048 of 14,855 openers, averaging 3.74 guesses in games solved within six turns.
Try your feedback pattern
Tap the tiles to match your feedback, then see the ranked follow-up guesses.
Useful pattern pages
If you only know part of the word, start with one of these matching patterns.
First-turn measures
All four describe FLUKE used as an opening guess. Entropy is the same idea as “avg ruled out” on a log scale: a higher number means the guess splits the possible answers into more, smaller groups.
As an opening guess: previous benchmark
How FLUKE performed in the previous complete opener benchmark, against its captured answer snapshot. These research figures are separate from today's solver recommendations. See the data page for the method.
Composition
Feedback chances
Example solver route
One example route used by the solver.
This solver benchmark reaches FLUKE in 4 guesses.
Feedback distribution
FLUKE can come back 90 different ways. These are the most likely, and how many of the possible answers give each one:
Letter-value totals
Base letter-value totals for FLUKE; these do not show whether either game accepts the word.
Scrabble
Words With Friends
Scores shown are base values without double/triple letter or word bonuses.
Try next
Strategy after playing FLUKE
What the solver recommends next for each way the board can respond to FLUKE.
Quick reference
Largest feedback groups after playing FLUKE:
Research on FLUKE
Game-tree analysis and word research for FLUKE, with an explanation for each figure.
Optimal play
Opening with FLUKE, a proven-optimal strategy averages 3.77 guesses and ranks #9,285 of 14,855 legal openers. The best proven opener, TARSE, averages 3.55.
In hard mode it averages 3.89 guesses at best and is rank #3,851 of the 7,453 openers that can still guarantee a solve within six guesses.
Our six-turn simulation says 3.74, at or below the proven-optimal 3.77, because the two figures score different answer lists.
These figures come from exhaustive game-tree search and are exact for the NYT lists of July 2023 (3,158 answers). They do not use the site's working answer pool.
Familiarity and learning
- Frequency
- FLUKE sits in the intermediate band of the wordfreq scale, appearing about once per million words of written English; the band marks it as a word most readers meet regularly.
- Dominant sense
- Lancaster raters associated it most strongly with sight (1.9 of 5).
Sources: Optimal-play values: Alex Selby's exhaustive Wordle analysis (MIT); Pronunciation: CMU Pronouncing Dictionary (BSD); Word frequency: wordfreq (data CC BY-SA 4.0); Lancaster Sensorimotor Norms (CC BY 4.0).