Did You Get the “Wordle” for Today?

Five letters. Six tries. Once daily. Have you figured it out yet? It’s Wordle, the word game that’s taken the internet by storm. Here’s the gist: there’s a new word puzzle that comes out at midnight every day on www.nytimes.com/games/wordle/index.html. It’s the same five-letter word for everyone in the world. You have six tries to get it right. After you enter a word, its letters are revealed to match, or not match, the word. If the tile the letter is on turns green, the letter is in the word and in the right spot. If it turns yellow, the letter is in the word, but in the wrong spot. If the tile stays gray, the letter isn’t in the word at all. Got it? Great. (‘Great’ could be one of the puzzles’ solutions.) 

Wordle was created by Josh Wardle for his partner, Palak Shah. Inspired by his partner’s love for The New York Times’ spelling bee and daily mini crossword games, he set out to create an original game for her. Eventually, he refined the game and made it available to the public with encouragement from the couple’s families. He even created a way to share a player’s Wordle results without spoiling the word of the day. At the end of January 2022, The New York Times bought Wordle from Wardle for a price “in the low seven figures.” Some Wordle players are wary of this purchase; they suspect you may have to buy a subscription to the Times in order to access the game, similar to other locked games on the website. However, the Times has stated that it plans to keep the game free “initially.” Other players believe that the Times has changed how words are decided for each day, pointing to difficult words like “ulcer” and “cynic” that have been the solutions for puzzles since the newspaper took over. 

Wordle fans have created a culture and a set of rules based on the word game. Rules include one saying that you can’t post your uncovered results of a puzzle on social media until the next day, out of respect to those who may have not completed the daily puzzle. Wardle has created a tool that allows you to share how many tries it took you to complete the puzzle, complete with yellow, green, and gray boxes but lacking spoiling letters. Fans often argue over the best word to start with each day. Many are in favor of “adieu,” as it contains four vowels. Others believe “tears” is the most strategic because of how often its letters appear in words.  

Wordle has brought people together across the Internet and in person. Many share their hidden results from the day on their social media profiles, lamenting over a particularly difficult puzzle or exclaiming about their solve on a second try. Friends watch over each other’s shoulders, biting their fingernails because they know the answer that their friend is so valiantly trying to guess. Wordle keeps you wanting more, and it gives you more every morning.