"Wordle" today #1,286 hints, clues and answer for Thursday, December 26

There is no better way to recover from Christmas excess than by relaxing with a puzzle or a brainteaser.

Wordle is the popular word-game from The New York Times, where five letters make up a new word every day.

Players get six attempts to solve the word, with color coded clues to show whether players are on the right path. A green tile means the letter is correct and in the right place. A yellow tile means the letter is right, but in the wrong place. A great tile means the letter is not in the word at all.

In a move fitting for the holiday season, Wordle was created as a gift from Brooklyn-based software engineer Josh Wardle for his girlfriend, Palek Shah, who loves puzzles.

It started as a small online game with 91 players in November 2021, but was bought by The New York Times in January 2022 for a seven-figure sum when the number of players reached 2 million people. It remains the publication's most popular puzzle.

One of the reasons that sets Wordle apart from other games is how simple and accessible it is. Wordle takes as little as five minutes to play, and makes a nice break from work, or, over the holidays, relatives.

Newsweek has put together five clues to help you solve Thursday's Wordle puzzle. But, scroll with caution! The answer is revealed further down, so if you want to solve it without knowing the result, be careful.

Wordle Today #1,286 Clues for Thursday, December 26

Hint #1: Thursday's answer is a verb and a noun.

Hint #2: It can be used to discuss letters, paintings, or posters.

Hint #3: It contains two vowels.

Hint #4: Synonyms include "stick," "fasten," and "attach."

Hint #5: The word ends with an 8-point Scrabble letter.

Wordle Today #1,286 Answer for Thursday, December 26

Thursday's Wordle answer is "Affix."

According to Merriam-Webster, the verb is defined as "to attach physically," as in a painting to a wall, and/or "to attach in any way," as in a signature.

The noun is a grammatical term, meaning "one or more sounds or letters occurring as a bound form attached to the beginning or end of a word."

Congratulations if you figured out the answer! But please do not worry if Thursday wasn't your day.

A new Wordle puzzle is available every day at midnight, so you can give it another go then.

And, if you need some hints for Friday's puzzle, Newsweek will be back with another round of tips.

Until then, try your hand at Connections, another popular New York Times game which Newsweek provides daily hints for as well.