Today’s Wordle answer and hints (Dec. 12)

I’m not afraid to admit I stumbled on today’s Wordle. It was tough, even by The New York Times’ standard. Before I give away the answer, I have a few hints and clues that might lead you in the right direction.

Today’s Wordle hints and clues (Dec. 12)

• Hint 1: To compete eagerly with someone in order to do or achieve something. (present participle)
• Hint 2: Verb.
• Hint 3: The word begins with the letter “V.”
• Hint 4: The athletes were v______ for a place in the British team.

Today’s Wordle answer (No. 1,272, Dec. 12)

Are you still struggling with today’s Wordle? I don’t blame you. The answer is VYING. This word is a present participle of the verb that means to compete with other people to achieve or get something. “Six candidates are currently vying for the Democratic presidential nomination.”

Today’s Wordle difficulty rating (Dec. 12)

The New York Times said today’s Wordle took players an average of 5.8 out of six guesses to get the correct answer, which doesn’t surprise me. I also struggled to get the answer. I’d give it a five out of five on the difficulty rating.

Previous Wordle answers

It’s always worth knowing the previous Wordle answers, even if you weren’t around to guess them. They can even give you clues to tomorrow’s answer. Here are the last five answers:

• PLUMB
• PATIO
• FLUNG
• HYENA
• HILLY

How to play more word games after solving today’s Wordle

After solving today’s Wordle, why not check out other word games? The New York Times, LA Times, and Washington Post have crosswords, and then there’s always Strands and Spelling Bee. You can never get enough word games.