# Today's Wordle starts with F

> Hints, a bit of history, and the September 13 answer for anyone still staring at five empty boxes.
- Title: Today's Wordle starts with F · Mashable | Shortify
- Summary: Hints, a bit of history, and the September 13 answer for anyone still staring at five empty boxes. Today's word is FOCUS, no repeated letters, and it starts…
- Keywords: wordle, puzzles, word games, nyt games, hints, technology, culture, Today's, starts, Mashable
- Source: Mashable — https://mashable.com/entertainment/wordle-today-answer-september-13-2026
- Author: Mashable Team
- Published: 2026-09-13T02:00:00+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: wordle, puzzles, word games, nyt games, hints, technology, culture
## Hints before the answer
Mashable's daily guide walks you up to the solution in stages, so you can take a clue or two and still solve it yourself. The answer sits at the bottom.
## A gift that went global
Josh Wardle built Wordle for his partner. It spread worldwide, spawned spinoffs like Squabble, Heardle, Dordle and Quordle, and the New York Times bought it.
## Pick a smarter opener
Any starting word works, but a strategic one packs in at least two different vowels plus common consonants like S, T, R or N.

> The best Wordle starting word is the one that speaks to you.
## The archive moved behind a paywall
The fan-run archive of past puzzles came down at the NYT's request. The Times later launched its own archive, open only to NYT Games subscribers.
## It isn't getting harder
Wordle is no more difficult than it was at launch, despite how it feels. If you want a real challenge, switch on Hard Mode.

> It might feel like Wordle is getting harder, but it actually isn't.
## The answer is FOCUS
Five letters, no repeats, starts with F, and the subtle hint was "lock in." Miss it? There's a fresh puzzle tomorrow.

> The solution to today's Wordle is... FOCUS
## Key takeaway

Today's word is FOCUS, no repeated letters, and it starts with F.