AARP Word Hurdle: How to Play Today’s Hurdle on AARP Games

AARP Word Hurdle — officially called Today's Hurdle on the AARP website — is AARP's twist on the Wordle word-guessing craze. Like Wordle, you get six tries to guess a five-letter word, with green and yellow tiles telling you how close you are. The AARP twist? You get five brand-new puzzles every single day, and each solved word becomes the starting guess of the next puzzle. Here's everything you need to know to play it free on aarp.org.

What Is AARP Word Hurdle?

AARP Word Hurdle (Today's Hurdle) is a free daily word puzzle on AARP's games section that follows the classic Wordle formula: guess a five-letter word in six attempts, with colour feedback after every guess.

What sets it apart from the original Wordle is the five-puzzle daily sequence. Solve puzzle one, and your winning word automatically becomes the first guess of puzzle two. Solve all four, and the final puzzle starts with the four previous answers already filled in — leaving you just two guesses to beat it.

The game is free to play on aarp.org, and a free AARP account lets you save your scores and track your progress across days.

How to Play AARP Word Hurdle: Step by Step

1. Visit the game. Go to aarp.org and open the games section, then find "Today's Hurdle".
2. Enter any five-letter word. Type a valid word and press Enter. Vowel-heavy starters like ADIEU or RAISE work well.
3. Read the colours. A green background means the letter is correct and in the right spot. A yellow background means the letter is in the word but in a different position.
4. Use all six tries. Narrow down the word before your guesses run out.
5. Chain the puzzles. Your solved word becomes the first guess of the next puzzle automatically — letters that match the new answer will light up green or yellow.
6. Beat the final puzzle. After solving four puzzles, the fifth starts with all four previous answers filled in, giving you just two guesses. Finish it to collect your full 5,000-point day.

The 5-Puzzle Twist Explained

The signature mechanic of AARP Word Hurdle is how the puzzles connect:

• Puzzles 1–4: Each starts with your previous answer already entered as guess one. If your last answer was "ocean", the next puzzle begins with O-C-E-A-N locked in, and matching letters glow green or yellow immediately.
• Puzzle 5 (the final hurdle): The first four guess slots are pre-filled with your four previous answers. You get only two guesses to crack the final word.

This makes later puzzles partly about luck — you can't control what word seeds the next round — but skilled players use the seeded letters as free information rather than noise.

Scoring and Points

• 1,000 points for completing each puzzle
• A perfect day (all five solved) earns 5,000 points
• Scores accumulate on your free AARP account profile, where you can compare with friends and other players

AARP Word Hurdle vs Other "Word Hurdle" Games

Searching "word hurdle" can be confusing, because a different game — Word Hurdle on Solitaired — is also popular. Here's how they differ:

Arkadium also hosts its own Word Hurdle version, following the same six-guess format. If you landed on a six-letter version, you're playing the Solitaired/Arkadium style game — not AARP's.

7 Strategy Tips for AARP Word Hurdle

• Start with vowel-heavy words. ADIEU, AUDIO, or RAISE reveal the most information on guess one.
• Follow up with common consonants. A second word like SPORT or CLIMB tests R, S, T, N, L without repeating letters.
• Treat seeded guesses as gifts, not guesses. When the previous answer pre-fills the next puzzle, study its green and yellow letters before typing anything.
• On the final puzzle, think pattern. With only two guesses, use guess one to test your strongest candidate pattern and guess two as the answer — avoid risky "exploratory" words.
• Watch for double letters. Words like SHEEP or LLAMA trip players up; if greens stall, consider repeats.
• Eliminate, don't confirm. When stuck, use a guess packed with untested letters rather than rearranging known ones.
• Play daily. The carry-over mechanic rewards familiarity — regular players internalise common five-letter patterns fast.

Where to Play AARP Word Hurdle Free

Play it directly on aarp.org under the games section — no download, no purchase needed. It runs in any modern browser on desktop, tablet, or phone. If you're looking for more word games in the same style, check out our guide to what-is-plusword for a daily crossword-style word puzzle, or sharpen your general Wordle skills with wordle-hurdle.

Mistakes That Cost You in AARP Word Hurdle

Five puzzles a day means five times the chances to slip up. These are the errors AARP Word Hurdle players report most:

• Treating all five puzzles the same. Each of the five daily puzzles is its own game with its own answer — feedback from puzzle one tells you nothing about puzzle two. Reset your letter tracking completely between rounds.
• Forgetting the final-puzzle twist. The fifth puzzle works differently from the first four, and players who cruise through on autopilot get caught out. Read the rules for the final round before you start guessing.
• Rushing the early puzzles. Because there are five to solve, players speed through the first ones and burn guesses carelessly. A wasted guess in puzzle one cannot be recovered — pace yourself like each puzzle is the only one.
• Ignoring the scoring system. Points reward efficiency, so sloppy four-guess solves across all five puzzles add up to a mediocre total. Playing for low guess counts, not just solves, is what separates good scores from great ones.
• Skipping the tutorial. AARP's version has its own quirks compared with other Word Hurdle editions. Five minutes learning the scoring and the five-puzzle structure saves far more time than it costs.
• Playing only on desktop. The game works on phones too, and many players fit the five puzzles into spare moments through the day. Splitting the session keeps each puzzle fresh instead of a fatigued marathon.