Wordle Hints Today for #1,653: Clues and Answer for Sunday, December 28

If you’re settling in for the final Sunday of the year with your phone in hand, chances are you’ve opened today’s Wordle and stared at a stubborn five-letter puzzle. For players needing a nudge in the right direction, here’s a clear breakdown of the hints, structure, and solution for Wordle #1,653, released on Sunday, December 28. Wordle remains one of the most popular daily word games online, offering players a single shared challenge every day. Whether you’re protecting a long win streak or just checking in casually, today’s puzzle offered a mix of simplicity and trickiness.

What Is Wordle?

Wordle is a daily word puzzle that challenges players to guess one five-letter word in six attempts. Created by Josh Wardle and launched publicly in 2021, the game quickly went viral thanks to its clean design and shareable, spoiler-free emoji grids. In early 2022, The New York Times acquired Wordle. Since then, the game has remained free to play while expanding its reach across mobile apps, browsers, and other platforms. The Times has reported that players collectively played Wordle billions of times in recent years, cementing its place as a daily digital ritual.

How Wordle Works

Players enter any valid five-letter word to begin. Letters turn green if they’re correct and in the right position, yellow if they’re in the word but misplaced, and gray if they don’t appear in the answer at all. You’re allowed six guesses total, and letters may appear more than once in the correct word—an important detail that often trips players up.

Recent Wordle Answers

If today’s solution felt familiar, that may be because you’ve seen related patterns recently. Here are the most recent answers leading up to today:

• December 27: BATCH

• December 26: SPEED

• December 25: PRISM

• December 24: SPOOL

• December 23: GLINT

Today’s Wordle Hints (#1,653)

Before revealing the answer, here’s how today’s puzzle broke down:

• Hint: Head of a monastery for men

• Double letters: Yes, there is a repeated letter

• First letter: A

These clues pointed toward a word rooted in religious hierarchy, with repetition playing a key role.

Today’s Wordle Answer

If you’ve scrolled this far, spoilers are unavoidable.

The answer to Wordle #1,653 for Sunday, December 28 is:

ABBOT

The double “B” proved decisive for many players, especially those who initially ruled out repeated letters.

Play More Than Once a Day

Players with a New York Times Games subscription can access the full Wordle archive, featuring more than 1,600 previous puzzles. Subscribers also gain access to Wordle Bot, a tool that analyzes guesses and suggests strategic improvements.