Wordle today: Hint and answer #917 for Saturday, December 23

pcgamer.com:

Looking for some weekend Wordle help? There's a hint for today's puzzle waiting just below, ready to offer a clear path through the grey letter fog. Need something a little more direct on the weekend? You've got it. The answer to the December 23 (917) Wordle is only a quick click away.

A win in three quick guesses on a Saturday morning? I love it. Just a nice case of almost being right, almost being right in a slightly more accurate way, and then sitting back as today's Wordle answer revealed itself. What more could I ask for? Other than for tomorrow's puzzle to turn up a little earlier than usual so I can play again, that is.

Today's answer refers to a sort of slant, angle, or gradient. A surface of some sort—a hillside, or the path leading down it—going from a higher point to a lower one, for example. 

No letters are used twice 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. 

Start the weekend with a win. The answer to the December 23 (917) Wordle is SLOPE.

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