Wordle today: Hint and answer #850 for Tuesday, October 17

Let us help you solve today's Wordle, and do it in the way that suits you best. We've got a selection of great tips if you'd like some general help, as well as a targeted clue written just for the October 17 (850) game if you need something more specific. Really stuck? Don't worry about it. The answer to today's Wordle is waiting below. 

A strong start gave way to a confusing midsection today, as a few floating yellow letters refused to find their place and the one green I did have wasn't as helpful as I hoped it would be. Thankfully for my win streak's sake they eventually sorted themselves out, but today's Wordle could have gone much better than it did.

Today's Wordle hint

Wordle today: A hint for Tuesday, October 17

We've got a nice, simple, word to find today. You're looking for the word used to describe someone who's all grown up, someone physically and emotionally mature. Not a child, not a teenager, but an…? 

Is there a double letter in Wordle today? 

There are no double letters in today's Wordle. 

Wordle help: 3 tips for beating Wordle every day 

Looking to extend your Wordle winning streak? Perhaps you've just started playing the popular daily puzzle game and are looking for some pointers. Whatever the reason you're here, these quick tips can help push you in the right direction: 

• Start with a word that has a mix of common vowels and consonants. 
• The answer might repeat the same letter.
• Try not to use guesses that include letters you've already eliminated. 

There's no racing against the clock with Wordle so you don't need to rush for the answer. Treating the game like a casual newspaper crossword can be a good tactic; that way, you can come back to it later if you're coming up blank. Stepping away for a while might mean the difference between a win and a line of grey squares. 

Today's Wordle answer

What is the #850 Wordle answer?

One win streak save, coming up. The answer to the October 17 (850) Wordle is ADULT.

Previous Wordle answers

The last 10 Wordle answers 

Wordle solutions that have already been used can help eliminate answers for today's Wordle or give you inspiration for guesses to help uncover more of those greens. They can also give you some inspired ideas for starting words that keep your daily puzzle-solving fresh.

Here are some recent Wordle answers:

• October 16: GRAPH
• October 15: LEAKY
• October 14: AGENT
• October 13: UNCLE
• October 12: KNELT
• October 11: SKUNK
• October 10: SNAIL
• October 9: TRUTH
• October 8: BINGE
• October 7: VIOLA

Learn more about Wordle 

Wordle gives you six rows of five boxes each day, and it's up to you to work out which five-letter word is hiding among them to win the popular daily puzzle.

It's usually a good plan to start with a strong word like ALERT—or any other word with a good mix of common consonants and multiple vowels—and you should be off to a flying start, with a little luck anyway. You should also avoid starting words with repeating letters, so you don't waste the chance to confirm or eliminate an extra letter. Once you hit Enter, you'll see 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 guess should compliment the first, using another "good" word to cover any common letters you might have missed on the first row—just don't forget to leave out 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 correct word. You have six tries in total and can only use real words and don't forget letters can repeat too (eg: 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.