Family Nickname That Would Make a Terrible Wordle Starting Guess: Why “MAMMA” Is the Funniest Clue
Did you play the little NYT Mini Crossword on July 13, 2025? You probably stopped and smiled at this clue: “Family nickname that would be a really bad first guess in Wordle1.”
The answer? MAMMA!
Kids and grown-ups loved this tiny clue right away. It mixes sweet mom hugs with cool Wordle tricks. In just seconds, you picture hugging your mom… but it reminds you: Never type MAMMA first in Wordle!
What Makes a Word a Bad Starting Guess in Wordle?
Wordle exploded in 2021–2022 and still has millions of daily players in 2025. The best players don’t guess randomly—they pick smart opening words. Here’s what the experts (and WordleBot) look for in a great starter word:
- At least three different vowels (A, E, I, O, U—sometimes Y)
- Common consonants like S, T, R, N, L
- No repeated letters
- Five unique letters total Forbes
Top starter words in 2025 still include SLATE, CRANE, TRACE, AUDIO, and STARE.
Now look at MAMMA:
- Only two different vowels (A)
- Only three different letters total (M, A)
- The letter A repeats three times
- M is not a super-common consonant
In short, MAMMA is almost the opposite of what you want. If the secret word has no A at all (which happens about 60% of the time), you learn almost nothing from your first guess. That’s why MAMMA is officially the family nickname that would make a terrible Wordle starting guess!
The NYT Mini Crossword Clue That Went Viral
The real clue said: “Family nickname that would make a terrible starting guess in Wordle (5 letters).” People quickly wrote MAMMA and started to giggle!
In just a few hours, kids and grown-ups put videos on TikTok and Twitter. They showed the clue to their moms and said, “Sorry, Mom, you are a super bad Wordle word!”
Even the smart WordleBot from the New York Times gave MAMMA a tiny score—almost the lowest ever! It said MAMMA teaches you almost nothing on the first try
Why Repeated Letters Kill Your Wordle Game
Repeated letters in Wordle are the number-one reason a word becomes a bad opener. Here are real examples of terrible starter words because of repeats:
- PAPA (repeats P and A)
- NANNY (repeats N twice)
- BUBBA (repeats B twice)
- COCOA (repeats C and O)
- MUMMY (repeats M)
Every time you repeat a letter, you waste a slot that could have tested a brand-new letter. Smart players want to test five different letters on turn one. That’s a basic guessing strategy Wordle pros follow every day. Mashable SEA
More Family Nicknames That Would Bomb in Wordle
Let’s have fun with other sweet nicknames that would be disasters:
| Nickname | Why It’s Terrible for Wordle |
| DADDY | Repeats D twice, only 3 unique letters |
| NANA | Repeats N and A, only 2 unique letters |
| POPPA | Repeats P and A |
| GRAMMA | Repeats A twice, M appears once |
| SIS | Only 3 letters total |
MAMMA still wins the “worst of the worst” award because it has the highest repeat rate of any common family nickname.
Best Starting Words in Wordle Strategy
Want to play like the pros? Smart grown-ups checked millions of Wordle games on sites like NYT WordleBot. They found the top 10 best first words: SLATE, CRANE, TRACE, STARE, AUDIO, RAISE, LEAST, CRATE, SALET, ROATE.
These words are winners! They tell you lots of secrets right away. They use super common letters from all 2,309 Wordle answers – like vowels A and E (in almost all of them!), and consonants S, T, R, L, C (the most popular ones).
Words like SLATE, CRANE, TRACE, and CRATE are almost perfect – they get 99 out of 100 points! They shrink the 2,300 possible words down to just 20-80 guesses. SALET is #1 from MIT experts. RAISE is #1 for the newest 2025 games!
Use these and win in 3-4 tries – like the pros!
Players using these average 3.4 guesses per win (vs. 4+ random), boosting solve rates to 98%. Pair with second guesses like POUND or GLIMY for vowels/consonants. Updated for 2025’s ~700 unused words, this keeps streaks alive! Notice anything? Zero repeats. At least three vowels. Common consonants. That’s the recipe.
How the Clue Connects Two Beloved Word Games
The beauty of this crossword Wordle reference is how it brings together two huge puzzle communities:
- Daily crossword solvers who love the quick NYT Mini
- Wordle addicts who play every single day
When the NYT Mini Crossword clues started sneaking in Wordle jokes, both groups cheered. It felt like the puzzles were finally talking to each other. This clue is now listed among the best tricky crossword clues and meta crossword clues of the year. Wordplays
Funny Reactions from Real Players
Players shared their joy all over the internet:
- “I showed my mom the clue, and she said, ‘Well, that’s just rude!’ Then laughed for five minutes.”
- “My kid calls me Mamma, and now every time I lose Wordle I blame her nickname.”
- “Best clue of 2025. Hands down.”
Check our guides on becoming a great parent or fun dad jokes for kids.
FAQs
When did the funny clue happen?
It was Sunday, July 13, 2025, in the little NYT Mini Crossword. The clue said: “Family nickname that would be a really bad first Wordle guess.” The answer was MAMMA! Right next to it was CRANE, called the best bird word. Everyone laughed and shared it online!
Is MAMMA the very worst Wordle starting word ever?
Not the worst-worst (weird words like JAZZY are even worse), but for normal words people really say, MAMMA is super bad! It has too many M’s and A’s, so it only teaches you a tiny bit. You still have over 500 words left to guess2!
Has the crossword talked about Wordle before?
Yes! Sometimes they say “green and yellow boxes” (that means the Wordle colors) or “daily five-letter game” (that’s Wordle!). It’s like a secret hello to Wordle fans.
Is it ever okay to guess a word with the same letter twice?
Only later in the game, when you already know a letter shows up two times. For your first two guesses, pick words with five different letters (like SLATE or CRANE). That helps you learn the most and win faster!
Conclusion
The simple clue “family nickname that would make a terrible Wordle starting guess” gave us one of the most memorable puzzle moments of 2025. It reminded us that sometimes the sweetest words in real life, like MAMMA, NANA, and DADDY, are the absolute worst when you’re trying to crack a five-letter code before breakfast.
So next time you hug your mom, maybe whisper, “Love you… but please never be my opening Wordle guess3.”
References & Further Reading
