Wordle hint and answer #609: Saturday, February 18

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Keep your Wordle(opens in new tab) win streak going in the right direction with our wide range of hints, guides, and tips. Take a look at today's clue if you'd like a little help with the February 18 (609) puzzle, or skip straight to the answer if you just need to read today's winning word.

I could feel today's answer tickling the back of my mind, something I knew I almost had but couldn't quite put my finger on. I'm still not entirely sure how I wrestled it into focus, but I'm glad I did.

Today's answer means to be of some sort of use, to gain something, or to work towards something. This word's usually used in the negative, ex: «We tried to open the locked door without a key, to no _____». 

Yes, there is a double letter in today's puzzle. 

If there's one thing better than playing Wordle, it's playing Wordle well, which is why I'm going to share a few quick tips to help set you on the path to success: 

There's no time pressure beyond making sure it's done by midnight. So there's no reason not to treat the game like a casual newspaper crossword and come back to it later if you're coming up blank. 

Here's to your first win of the weekend. The answer to the February 18 (609) Wordle isAVAIL.

The more past Wordle answers you can cram into your memory banks, the better your chances of guessing today's Wordle answer without accidentally picking a solution that's already been used. Past Wordle answers can also give you some excellent ideas for fun starting words that keep your daily puzzle solving fresh.

Here are some recent Wordle solutions:

Every day Wordle presents you with six rows of five boxes, and it's up to you to work out which secret five-letter word is hiding inside them.

You'll want to start with a strong word(opens