Read more
‘Is that real?’ – Wordle 485 features ‘obscure German word’, also Afrikaans surname
Apart from its German meaning, the word in today's riddle is also a common Afrikaans surname.
Photo: The Citizen/Cheryl Kahla
Another day, another riddle. Players – particularly in the United States… make of that what you will – aren’t too impressed with Wordle 485.
Today’s Wordle had many players breaking their streak, and social media is divided by those who are infuriated, and those who ‘humblebrag’ their first-word success.
It goes without saying, there will be spoilers below. I’ll share clues first but if you’re really stumped, scroll to the very end for the answer.
What is Wordle?
It’s hard to resist the Wordle craze – even Camilla, Queen Consort of the United Kingdom, couldn’t resist the ever-infuriating game.
Wordle was created by Josh Wardle, a Welsh software engineer who created the game in 2013, and revived it during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Wordle was acquired by NY Times earlier this year. Play it for here.
How to play Wordle
The premise is simple: You have six tries to correctly guess the day’s world. Once a guess has been entered, the letters will be highlighted either green, yellow or grey.
- Green means that specific letter is in the correct spot.
- Yellow means the letter appears elsewhere in the word.
- Grey means the letter does not appear in the word at all.
There are many ways to play, and most people swear by their chosen ‘starter words’. A starter word has a rich combination of the most popular vowels and constants.
- Each guess must be a valid 5-letter word.
- The most popular vowels are A and E. Choose a starter word that contains these two letters; make sure none of the letters appear twice.
- Avoid letters such as X, Z and Q until later on; these aren’t used as often as A, E, R, S and T.
I personally start the game with ARISE and MOUNT. However, RAISE and TOUCH is worthy contenders too. My third word is GLYPH, but PICKY would also work.
ALSO READ: Twitter suspends spoiler account for ‘Wordle’ answer reveal
Wordle 485 clues
Today’s Wordle starts with the letter S. It contains two vowels, and none of the consonants appears twice.
It’s something you drink out of, but it’s not a common English word.
It’s also a surname in some parts of the world, including South Africa! It’s a common Afrikaans surname of Bavarian origin.
If you’re ready to skip all that and go straight to the word, keep scrolling.
Stein meaning
The uncommon word has its origin in German.
According to the Cambridge dictionary, a stein is a “very large cup, usually made of clay and often decorated, that has a handle and a lid and is used for drinking beer”.
The word also appears in German and Yiddish. In Norwegian, it means ‘stone’ and ‘pip’ or ‘kernel’. And in South Africa, it’s an Afrikaans surname.
Steyn, Stein and Steijn in SA
The meaning of the surname, specifically, is a variant of Steyn and Steijn. It refers to a person dwelling near a stone (get it?) and is also common in Switzerland and Austria.
The majority of Steyns, Steins and Steijns in South Africa are descendants of Jacobus Steijn, from the early 1700s.
Another line apparently stems from Johannes Steyn from Darmstad, a soldier who settled in Cape colony in the late 1700s.
NOW READ: Wordle might save your life
