Today's 'Wordle' #1,296 clues, hints and answer for Sunday, January 5 game

If you are having trouble with Sunday's Wordle puzzle, we have a few helpful clues for you.

Wordle, created by Brooklyn-based software engineer Josh Wardle in January 2021, quickly gained global popularity. The game skyrocketed from just 91 players in November 2021 to more than 2 million by January 2022. This surge of interest caught the attention of The New York Times, which acquired the game for an undisclosed seven-figure sum in early 2022.

In Wordle, players must guess a secret five-letter word within six tries. The game offers color-coded feedback: green tiles indicate the correct letter in the right position; yellow means the letter is in the word but in the wrong place; and gray signals that the letter is not in the word.

In a January 2022 interview, Wardle explained why he settled on five-letter words and six attempts. "I tested different word lengths and the number of tries players were allowed," he said. "Through that process, I found that five letters and six tries created the perfect balance. It's challenging but still solvable, giving players a real sense of accomplishment."

Erhan Aslan, an expert in applied linguistics who teaches at the University of Reading in the United Kingdom, previously provided some useful advice for Wordle players in an interview with Newsweek.

"One thing that I think is important in this game is the starting word chosen," Aslan said. "Starting off with words that include commonly used vowels, for example, e and a, consonants such as r and t, and sound sequences might be helpful.

"Choosing a word that starts with q, z, j or x, for instance, may not be the best choice. You get more feedback after a few guesses. Users need to draw on some knowledge of phonics to narrow down or eliminate some words that they might be thinking."

If you are looking for today's answer, it is further down in the article—proceed with caution.

'Wordle' #1,296, Clues for Sunday, January 5

Hint #1: Think Doctor Who villains.

Hint #2: Part of the term for internet crime.

Hint #3: Synonyms include "electronic" and "virtual."

Hint #4: It starts and ends with a consonant.

Hint #5: The answer contains one vowel.

'Wordle' #1,296, Answer for Sunday, January 5

Sunday's Wordle answer is "Cyber."

If you didn't figure out today's Wordle puzzle, don't fret: the game resets at midnight in your time zone, so you can always try again then.