Saved: The Wordle clue that helped rescue 80-year-old woman from hostage ordeal

Daughters of Denyse Holt from Illinois grew concerned after she failed to send them a text containing her daily Wordle score

The oldest of Denyse Holt's daughters became concerned when her mother didn't text her Wordle score as she usually did each day. Picture: Nick Ansell/PA Wire

The wildly popular online puzzle Wordle has been credited with keeping people across the world sane amid the ravages of the pandemic. But now it has been hailed as a potential life saver, by providing the clue that helped rescue an 80-year-old woman from a 20-hour home invasion hostage ordeal.

Denyse Holt, a retired teacher, found herself locked in her basement in her home in Illinois after being woken up by a naked, knife-wielding intruder in the middle of the night.