By FiveLetterWords · Guide updated . The puzzle date is shown separately.

This page always keeps Wordle #1034 for April 18, 2024. Check that number against your game before opening a hint. The answer remains below a separate reveal.

Wordle changes at midnight in your local time zone. For the current local puzzle, use today’s hints. This dated page keeps the same puzzle when the day changes.

Our independent hints use the verified puzzle answer. Play the official game at The New York Times.

Hints for Wordle #1034

What kind of word

Wiktionary lists it as a noun.

What it means

“Any one of the flat surfaces cut into a gem.”

Source: Wiktionary contributors, available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected and lightly formatted from Wiktionary; long entries may be shortened.

Fill the gap

“This _____ of the diamond was masterfully cut to enhance its value.”

Source: Wiktionary contributors, available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Example sentence selected from Wiktionary, with the answer removed.

How it starts

Begins with F.

The middle letter

The middle letter is C.

Reveal the answer and explanation

The answer to Wordle #1,034 was

FACET: Any one of the flat surfaces cut into a gem.

Source: Wiktionary contributors, available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected and lightly formatted from Wiktionary; long entries may be shortened.

Word difficulty: Easy

Why it may be easier: five different letters, at least two vowels and none of Q, Z, X, J, K, V or W.

The word rating describes familiarity and letter features. The solver score below measures how a fixed strategy handles the puzzle; an unusual word can still be easy for that strategy.

Compare past puzzle difficulty →

How difficult was it for the solver?

Solver pressure: 17/100 (easier for the solver). This is a percentile among past puzzles under the same strategy: 0 is easiest and 100 is hardest for the solver.

6 Possible answers after CRANE
25 Possible answers after SLATE
56 Possible answers after ADIEU
4 Guesses in the solver replay

This compares past puzzles under the same solver settings; it does not measure how players performed. Compare more puzzles →

Wordle #1,034, measured

This section compares FACET's solver-difficulty percentile, first-guess results for ten familiar openers, and opt-in player reports. Each number identifies its dataset.

Solver difficulty, as a percentile

17/100

This score is a percentile, not an opinion. Under the site's fixed solver settings, FACET measured harder for the solver than about 17% of all 1,967 recorded answers to date. Its rating is easier for the solver. The example solver route takes four turns.

Solver pressure ranks the answer within the pool; it does not measure player performance. The opener table compares first-guess results, and the contributed ratings report player results.

CRANE, SLATE and ADIEU benchmark

SALET left the fewest candidates: its first-guess feedback left 2 of the 2,391 words in the site's working answer pool. At the other end, AUDIO left 444 candidates, about 222 times as many. The vowel-heavy probes ADIEU and AUDIO revealed comparatively little here. Vowel coverage helps only when the answer's vowels are still in doubt.

First-guess feedback each opener would have received against FACET, and how many answer-pool words would still match it
OpenerFirst-guess feedbackAnswers still possible
SALET SALET 2
TARSE TARSE 5
TRACE TRACE 5
CRANE CRANE 6
STARE STARE 21
RAISE RAISE 22
SLATE SLATE 25
ADIEU ADIEU 56
ARISE ARISE 82
AUDIO AUDIO 444

“Answers still possible” counts the words in the site's 2,391-word working answer pool whose feedback would match that opener exactly. This is pattern arithmetic, not a simulation. A smaller number means the opener left fewer possible answers after the first guess. It does not describe later turns.

Contributed player ratings

Not enough contributed games to publish player figures for this puzzle. Per-puzzle numbers appear only after at least 10 opt-in games arrive. See how the Observatory collects and publishes player data →

What did you get?

Tap your result to compare it with contributed games. Your choice stays in this browser and is not sent anywhere.

1 Suppressed
2 Suppressed
3 13
4 12
5 Suppressed
6 Suppressed
X Suppressed

The bars pool all 44 contributed games across every completed puzzle. The Observatory does not publish per-puzzle guess distributions below its sample threshold, so this is the broadest available comparison. “Suppressed” marks a low-count cell.

How the solver finds FACET

The strategy receives only earlier guesses and their feedback. It does not know the answer before choosing a move. Guessing the answer itself on turn one is a lucky one-turn result, not a recommended general strategy.

Normal mode

Our solver: bounded weighted policy. Current-pool replay over 14,855 accepted words. Model through 2026-11-05.

  1. The fixed opener tests its five letters.

    14,855 before → 24 after. This feedback leaves 24 candidates.

    All 24 surviving candidates

    BATED, CADET, DATED, EATEN, EATIN, FACET, FATED, GATED, HATED, JACET, LACET, LATED, LATEN, LATEX, MANET, MATED, MATEY, MAZET, OATEN, PALET, PATED, PATEL, PATEN, VALET

    Decision measures before feedback

    Expected remaining candidates: 414.45. Information: 5.74 bits. These measures describe the decision before its realised feedback.

  2. Test DOLES against the 24 candidates consistent with the earlier rows.

    24 before → 7 after. This feedback leaves 7 candidates.

    All 7 surviving candidates

    EATEN, FACET, JACET, MANET, MATEY, MAZET, PATEN

    Decision measures before feedback

    Expected remaining candidates: 5.708. Information: 1.275 bits. These measures describe the decision before its realised feedback.

  3. Test MANET against the 7 candidates consistent with the earlier rows.

    7 before → 2 after. This feedback leaves 2 candidates.

    All 2 surviving candidates

    FACET, JACET

    Decision measures before feedback

    Expected remaining candidates: 1.628. Information: 2.028 bits. These measures describe the decision before its realised feedback.

  4. Test FACET against the 2 candidates consistent with the earlier rows.

    2 before → 1 after. The answer is submitted and solved.

    All 1 surviving candidates

    FACET

    Decision measures before feedback

    Expected remaining candidates: 1.0. Information: 0.688 bits. These measures describe the decision before its realised feedback.

Solved in 4 guesses. Uniquely identified on turn 4.

Continue this board in the Solver

Hard Mode

Our solver: bounded weighted policy. Current-pool replay over 14,855 accepted words. Model through 2026-11-05.

  1. The fixed opener tests its five letters.

    14,855 before → 24 after. This feedback leaves 24 candidates.

    All 24 surviving candidates

    BATED, CADET, DATED, EATEN, EATIN, FACET, FATED, GATED, HATED, JACET, LACET, LATED, LATEN, LATEX, MANET, MATED, MATEY, MAZET, OATEN, PALET, PATED, PATEL, PATEN, VALET

    Decision measures before feedback

    Expected remaining candidates: 414.45. Information: 5.74 bits. These measures describe the decision before its realised feedback.

  2. Test MATED against the 24 candidates consistent with the earlier rows.

    24 before → 5 after. This feedback leaves 5 candidates.

    All 5 surviving candidates

    FACET, JACET, LACET, PALET, VALET

    Decision measures before feedback

    Expected remaining candidates: 5.957. Information: 1.281 bits. These measures describe the decision before its realised feedback.

  3. Test VALET against the 5 candidates consistent with the earlier rows.

    5 before → 2 after. This feedback leaves 2 candidates.

    All 2 surviving candidates

    FACET, JACET

    Decision measures before feedback

    Expected remaining candidates: 1.458. Information: 1.648 bits. These measures describe the decision before its realised feedback.

  4. Test FACET against the 2 candidates consistent with the earlier rows.

    2 before → 1 after. The answer is submitted and solved.

    All 1 surviving candidates

    FACET

    Decision measures before feedback

    Expected remaining candidates: 1.0. Information: 0.688 bits. These measures describe the decision before its realised feedback.

Solved in 4 guesses. Uniquely identified on turn 4.

Continue this board in the Solver
Historical proven-optimal benchmark: July 2023

Alex Selby’s strategy minimises the mean over its complete 3,158-answer snapshot. A route for one answer is not proof of the shortest possible route for that answer, and is separate from the current weighted model.

Normal mode

Selby’s proven-optimal strategy. July 2023 snapshot: 3,158 equally likely answers; minimum mean guesses.

  1. The fixed opener tests its five letters.

    3,158 before → 12 after. This feedback leaves 12 candidates.

    All 12 surviving candidates

    BATED, CADET, DATED, EATEN, FACET, FATED, GATED, HATED, LATEX, MATED, MATEY, VALET

    Decision measures before feedback

    Expected remaining candidates: 100.074. Information: 5.888 bits. These measures describe the decision before its realised feedback.

  2. Test DELFT against the 12 candidates consistent with the earlier rows.

    12 before → 1 after. This feedback leaves 1 candidate.

    All 1 surviving candidates

    FACET

    Decision measures before feedback

    Expected remaining candidates: 2.167. Information: 2.752 bits. These measures describe the decision before its realised feedback.

  3. Submit the only remaining candidate.

    1 before → 1 after. The answer is submitted and solved.

    All 1 surviving candidates

    FACET

    Decision measures before feedback

    Expected remaining candidates: 1.0. Information: 0.0 bits. These measures describe the decision before its realised feedback.

Solved in 3 guesses. Uniquely identified on turn 2.

Continue this board in the Solver

Hard Mode

Selby’s proven-optimal strategy. July 2023 snapshot: 3,158 equally likely answers; minimum mean guesses.

  1. The fixed opener tests its five letters.

    3,158 before → 12 after. This feedback leaves 12 candidates.

    All 12 surviving candidates

    BATED, CADET, DATED, EATEN, FACET, FATED, GATED, HATED, LATEX, MATED, MATEY, VALET

    Decision measures before feedback

    Expected remaining candidates: 100.074. Information: 5.888 bits. These measures describe the decision before its realised feedback.

  2. Test MATHE against the 12 candidates consistent with the earlier rows.

    12 before → 3 after. This feedback leaves 3 candidates.

    All 3 surviving candidates

    CADET, FACET, VALET

    Decision measures before feedback

    Expected remaining candidates: 4.167. Information: 1.73 bits. These measures describe the decision before its realised feedback.

  3. Test CADET against the 3 candidates consistent with the earlier rows.

    3 before → 1 after. This feedback leaves 1 candidate.

    All 1 surviving candidates

    FACET

    Decision measures before feedback

    Expected remaining candidates: 1.0. Information: 1.585 bits. These measures describe the decision before its realised feedback.

  4. Submit the only remaining candidate.

    1 before → 1 after. The answer is submitted and solved.

    All 1 surviving candidates

    FACET

    Decision measures before feedback

    Expected remaining candidates: 1.0. Information: 0.0 bits. These measures describe the decision before its realised feedback.

Solved in 4 guesses. Uniquely identified on turn 3.

Continue this board in the Solver

Source: Alex Selby’s Wordle analysis, MIT. Licence and attribution.

How the fixed opener panel performs on this answer

OpenerFirst feedbackSurvivorsNormalHard Mode
TARSE12001 (0 grey, 1 yellow, 2 green)2444
CRANE10101 (0 grey, 1 yellow, 2 green)4843
SLATE00111 (0 grey, 1 yellow, 2 green)10544
ADIEU10020 (0 grey, 1 yellow, 2 green)39444
STARE01101 (0 grey, 1 yellow, 2 green)8944
AUDIO10000 (0 grey, 1 yellow, 2 green)251344
RAISE02001 (0 grey, 1 yellow, 2 green)18344
ROATE00111 (0 grey, 1 yellow, 2 green)12544
SALET02022 (0 grey, 1 yellow, 2 green)1033
Normal mode
1 guess: 0 · 2 guesses: 0 · 3 guesses: 1 · 4 guesses: 8 · 5 guesses: 0 · 6 guesses: 0 · Failed in six: 0
Hard Mode
1 guess: 0 · 2 guesses: 0 · 3 guesses: 2 · 4 guesses: 7 · 5 guesses: 0 · 6 guesses: 0 · Failed in six: 0

The nine openers use the same pool and continuation policy. Across both modes: 3–4 guesses among successes; 0 of 18 configurations failed. This is performance on this answer, not an overall opener ranking.

54 openers set up a two-turn opportunity; examples include AFTER, FACTS, FACED, FLEET, CRAFT, FEAST, FETCH, COMET, CITES, CASTE. After their feedback, this answer is among the most likely survivors with at least half the model probability. This is an opportunity, not a guarantee. An opener that immediately solves is excluded.

Why this answer can be difficult

The worked board still allows 7 different answers at one later decision: EATEN, FACET, JACET, MANET, MATEY, MAZET, PATEN. These are mechanical alternatives, not a judgement of vocabulary difficulty.

Vocabulary evidence and voluntary player results are reported separately from these solver observations.

Closest competing answers in this board

These words all fit the earlier feedback, rather than merely sharing similar spelling: EATEN, FACET, JACET, MANET, MATEY, MAZET, PATEN.

A lesson from this route

Before MANET, 7 words still fit. Its feedback left 2; check the full survivor list before choosing the next answer.

Try another opener or a different move

How this is calculated

The current policy checks all remaining candidates and up to 128 fixed probes. At six or fewer candidates it uses bounded lookahead, preferring modelled six-turn success, then speed among successes. Larger states use expected survivors as a heuristic. These are recommendations, not proofs of optimal play. Hard Mode retains green positions and revealed letter counts; it allows grey letters and a yellow in the same position. Candidate-only play is stricter.

Methods and limitations

Common questions

What was the Wordle answer for April 18, 2024?
The Wordle answer for April 18, 2024 (puzzle #1034) was FACET.
What does FACET mean?
FACET: Any one of the flat surfaces cut into a gem.
Why was Wordle #1034 tricky?
FACET is rated easy for estimated word difficulty. Why it may be easier: five different letters, at least two vowels and none of Q, Z, X, J, K, V or W.

Reported player results

Voluntary self-reported sample, not representative of all players. Solver scores do not measure human difficulty. Small or complementary cells stay private.

Wordle #1034 · April 18, 2024

Not enough publishable evidence yet. The minimum is 10 reports per protected group; complementary suppression can also withhold a larger group.

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