Non-PIE ❌️🥧
Wordle theme for March 2026
It has been a while since I arranged a theme based on etymology so next month it’s time again. This time it will be loan words with roots outside the Indo-European language family. Indo-European languages are the majority of languages spoken in Europe, but also on the Indian sub-continent, Iran, and Central-Asia. All Indo-European languages descend from a (reconstructed) pre-historic language called Proto-Indo-European, abbreviated PIE.
About half of the English vocabulary is loan words but almost all of them from other Indo-European languages. This theme will use starter words which trace their origin to another source than Proto-Indo-European – non-PIE words.
Non-PIE Wordle starters:
1 aleph @Anita, Sydney
https://www.nytimes.com/shared/comment/4eaaoo?rsrc=cshare&smid=url-share
2 khaya @Karlien
https://www.nytimes.com/shared/comment/4eap0o?rsrc=cshare&smid=url-share
3 ivory @Ivy de Pauw
https://www.nytimes.com/shared/comment/4ebp82?rsrc=cshare&smid=url-share
4 coach @Jay, Forest Hill NY
https://www.nytimes.com/shared/comment/4ecrrg?rsrc=cshare&smid=url-share
5 mambo @Chirocarol
https://www.nytimes.com/shared/comment/4edpnl?rsrc=cshare&smid=url-share
6 beige @Matthew Sagal
https://www.nytimes.com/shared/comment/4eelfc?rsrc=cshare&smid=url-share
7 kamik @Yal
https://www.nytimes.com/shared/comment/4efh39?rsrc=cshare&smid=url-share
8 adobe @Myle
https://www.nytimes.com/shared/comment/4eg4fs?rsrc=cshare&smid=url-share
9 maven @KimmyAnn
https://www.nytimes.com/shared/comment/4eglog?rsrc=cshare&smid=url-share
10 maize @BigFatCat
https://www.nytimes.com/shared/comment/4ehhbs?rsrc=cshare&smid=url-share
11 coral @PamB LisaFC
https://www.nytimes.com/shared/comment/4eid99?rsrc=cshare&smid=url-share
12 banjo @SamplesDriscoll
https://www.nytimes.com/shared/comment/4eja8e?rsrc=cshare&smid=url-share
13 ugali @Robert H.
https://www.nytimes.com/shared/comment/4eki1f?rsrc=cshare&smid=url-share
14 tokay @Peter, Goolwa North 89th birthday
https://www.nytimes.com/shared/comment/4el44v?rsrc=cshare&smid=url-share
15 lemur @Me, London
https://www.nytimes.com/shared/comment/4elked?rsrc=cshare&smid=url-share
16 makan @WT
https://www.nytimes.com/shared/comment/4em630?rsrc=cshare&smid=url-share
17 guano @Desperate Dan
https://www.nytimes.com/shared/comment/4en8de?rsrc=cshare&smid=url-share
18 canoe @Beth White
https://www.nytimes.com/shared/comment/4eo4op?rsrc=cshare&smid=url-share
19 bayou @GloriaMay
https://www.nytimes.com/shared/comment/4ep31f?rsrc=cshare&smid=url-share
20 mango @Andele
https://www.nytimes.com/shared/comment/4ept39?rsrc=cshare&smid=url-share
21 cacao @Linda, Baton Rouge
https://www.nytimes.com/shared/comment/4eqmjj?rsrc=cshare&smid=url-share
22 anise @Dawn
https://www.nytimes.com/shared/comment/4er8ue?rsrc=cshare&smid=url-share
23 cider @JennyWren
https://www.nytimes.com/shared/comment/4erqf6?rsrc=cshare&smid=url-share
24 koala @Jenny, Queensland
https://www.nytimes.com/shared/comment/4esotq?rsrc=cshare&smid=url-share
25 myrrh @Rad
https://www.nytimes.com/shared/comment/4etoim?rsrc=cshare&smid=url-share
26 chili/chile @Jn
https://www.nytimes.com/shared/comment/4eumo6?rsrc=cshare&smid=url-share
27 bongo @Cheryl, NSW, Australia
https://www.nytimes.com/shared/comment/4evk8t?rsrc=cshare&smid=url-share
28 saber/sabre @Henrik
https://www.nytimes.com/shared/comment/4f0o8j?rsrc=cshare&smid=url-share
29 cumin @Trader Kate
https://www.nytimes.com/shared/comment/4f0v1r?rsrc=cshare&smid=url-share
30 camel @Joyce, Alamogordo
https://www.nytimes.com/shared/comment/4f1hje?rsrc=cshare&smid=url-share
31 aloha @SandraV
abbot
adobe @Myle March 8
aleph @Anita, Sydney March 1
aloha @SandraV March 31
alpha
amate
anise @Dawn March 22
arena
banjo @SamplesDriscoll March 12
bayou @GloriaMay March 19
beige @Matthew Sagal March 6
betel
bodoh
bongo @Cheryl, NSW, Australia March 27
cabal
cacao @Linda, Baton Rouge March 21
camel @Joyce, Alamogordo March 30
canal
canoe @Beth White March 18
canon
chili/chile @Jn March 26
cider @JennyWren March 23
coach @Jay, Forest Hill NY March 4
cocoa
cooee
coral @PamB LisaFC March 11
cumin @Trader Kate March 29
delta
dingo
ebony
gecko
golem
guano @Desperate Dan March 17
guava
igloo
ivory @Ivy de Pauw March 3
kamik @Yal March 7
kanzu
kappa
kayak
kebab
kefir
khaya @Karlien March 2
kiasu
koala @Jenny, Queensland March 24
llama
lemur @Me, London March 15
lepak
maize @BigFatCat March 10
makan @WT March 16
mamak
mambo @Chirocarol March 5
manga
mango @Andele March 20
manna
maven @KimmyAnn March 9
myrrh @Rad March 25
oasis
panko
parka
saber/sabre @Henrik March 28
samba
sengi
shako
shiok
tokay @Peter, Goolwa North March 14
tunic
ugali @Robert H. March13
vezir