When Josh Wardle, a New York-based software engineer, first released Wordle to the public in October 2021 he surely had no idea he was launching a global sensation. The game was invented by Wardle during the COVID-19 lockdown, initially just “for me and my partner to enjoy.”

Despite these humble origins Wordle rapidly became popular across the English-speaking world and, in January 2022, it was sold to The New York Times for an undisclosed low seven figure sum.

How to Play Wordle

A large part of Wordle’s appeal is its simplicity. Players get six attempts to guess a five-letter word. Gray tiles behind each letter indicate that they are not in the word at all; yellow means the letter features but is in the wrong position; while green lets players know the letter is in the word and in the correct place.

Previously speaking to Newsweek, Erhan Aslan, a linguistics expert who teaches at the University of Reading in the United Kingdom, provided some tips for Wordle players.

“One thing that I think is important in this game is the starting word chosen. Starting off with words that include commonly used vowels, for example, e and a, consonants such as r and t, and sound sequences might be helpful. Choosing a word that starts with q, z, j, or x, for instance, may not be the best choice,” he said.

The answer to Sunday’s puzzle will be revealed at the end of this article, so scroll down with caution if you want to work it out for yourself.

Wordle #1,331, Clues for Sunday, February 9

Newsweek has put together five clues to help you solve today’s brainteaser.

Hint #1: The answer contains two vowels.

Hint #2: There are no repeated letters.

Hint #3: Synonyms included “extra” and “additional.”

Hint #4: Some companies give one at the end of each year.

Hint #5: The fourth letter is a vowel.

Wordle #1,331, Answer for Sunday, February 9

The answer to today’s Wordle puzzle is “bonus.”

Did you figure it out? If so congratulations, but please don’t be put off if not. One of the best things about Wordle is seeing if you can improve your result over time and Newsweek will be back with another round of hints and tips on Monday.

What Does ‘Bonus’ Mean?

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines “bonus” as “something in addition to what is expected or strictly due.”

For example: “We were very impressed with your performance on the last project, so we’ve decided to give you a bonus.”