Today's Wordle Answer #497 - October 29, 2022 Solution And Hints
WordleBot says it took most players five guesses to solve today's puzzle. For a game that only allows six attempts, that means today's Wordle isn't exactly an easy one. If you're struggling, here are some hints to help you unravel the answer faster. Or if you'd rather not think too hard, you could check the second section for the answer.
Today's word includes a repeated letter, which is partly why it's difficult to guess. It has two vowels, I and E, as the second and fourth letter respectively, and it rhymes with idle. Depending on context, the word can function as a noun or a verb, and it describes the act of writing and publishing false statements about someone with an intention to damage their reputation. If you replace the second letter with A, you'd have a new word that describes a small tag that's attached to an object to provide information about it.
The answer is synonymous with vilify
The solution to today's Wordle puzzle (#497 – October 29, 2022) is libel. You libel someone if you publish a defamatory statement about them, but in admiralty and ecclesiastical law, libel refers to the written declaration a plaintiff uses to bring a suit against the defendant (via Merriam-Webster). According to Etymonline, the word traces back to Old French "libelle", from Latin "libellus," which means a little book, pamphlet, petition, written accusation, or complaint.
A libel claim is legally legitimate if the plaintiff can prove in court that the information being spread is false, and that it has caused them financial, psychological, or social harm. Because the burden of proof rests on the case filer, libel suits rarely ever end in favor of the plaintiff. But there are some exceptional cases where that has happened, like these ten.
Like yesterday, we played by the rules today and chose the recommended starting word, slate, as our first guess. Next, we tried the words liken and lifer, and ended up solving the puzzle on the fourth attempt, as has been the case for the past few weeks. We hope you do even better, and if you're looking for more challenging games, here are some Wordle-like puzzles to try.