Today's Wordle answer is a common word, but not all of its letters are exceptionally common. We've ranked all the letters in the alphabet by popularity if you want to use this list to decide on your best start words.

Every day, we'll post hints and then the answer for the current day's Wordle, just in case you need it.

And do you play the NYT Connections game? We've got today's Connections answer too.

Today's Wordle hints

Warning: If you keep reading, you'll see the Wordle answer for Tuesday, May 7, puzzle #1053. That could be a devastating spoiler for some players. But if you just need the answer -- maybe you're on your last guess and just don't want to see an 800-game streak go poof -- keep reading.

Wordle hint No. 1: No repeats

There are no repeated letters in today's Wordle answer.

Wordle hint No. 2: Uncommon letters

None of the five most popular letters in the alphabet show up in this word. Check our list to see what those five are, and don't guess them.

Wordle hint No. 3: Start letter

Today's Wordle answer starts with the letter M.

Wordle hint No. 4: Part of speech

Today's Wordle answer is an adjective.

Wordle hint No. 5: Meaning

Today's Wordle answer is a word you might use to describe the smell of your grandparents' basement.

TODAY'S WORDLE ANSWER

Here comes the spoiler: Today's Wordle answer is MUSTY. It's usually used to refer to a stale smell or even a stale taste. (Bleah.) You know it when you smell or taste it. 

Yesterday's Wordle answer

Yesterday's answer, #1052, May 6, was SHAVE

Past Wordle answers

May 2, No. 1048: SLICE

May 3, No. 1049: EBONY

May 4, No. 1050: VALUE

May 5, No. 1051: DECAL

Everyday Wordle tips

I've written a lot about Wordle -- from covering its 1,000th word to my list of the best starter words to a helpful two-step strategy to news about controversial word changes. I've even rounded up what I learned playing the hit online word puzzle for a full year. So if you're rethinking your need for the actual answer, you might try tips from one of those stories.

Still need a starter word? One person told me they just look around and choose a five-letter object that they've spotted to use as their starter word -- such as COUCH or CHAIR. I tend to stick to starter words that have the most popular letters used in English words. I like TRAIN as a starter, though I have a friend who uses TRAIL. I've read that people use the financial term ROATE, but I like to use words I actually know.

What is Wordle?

If you read this far, you know how to play. You have six chances to guess a five-letter word, and the game gives you feedback as to whether the letters you've guessed are in the puzzle or not, and if they're in the same spot where you guessed they are. The New York Times bought the game from creator Josh Wardle for seven figures in 2022. Wardle famously created the game for his partner, and let her narrow down the 12,000 five-letter words in the English language to just 2,500, creating the database of answers. It was convenient, too, that he has a name that plays off "word."

A Times spokesperson told me it lists the very first Wordle as appearing on June 19, 2021, and the paper celebrated the game's 1,000th word on March 15. Spoiler: That 1,000th word was ERUPT. As in, "Dad will erupt if the Wordle is so tough he loses his streak."

There are other fun games in the Times Games stable. My latest addiction is Connections, which I think is trickier than Wordle. This is the game where you look at a grid of 16 words and try to put them into four groups of related words. Sometimes the relationships between the words are pretty out there -- like the time when it was four words that all began with rock bands, such as "Rushmore" and "journeyman." (Connections got a little sassy on April Fools' Day with an all-emoji puzzle. Some gamers did NOT find that funny.)

Read more: Today's NYT Connections answer and hints

Spelling Bee is a popular Times game too. And there's a new game that's still in beta, Strands, which I'm trying to master.