Wordle is an increasingly popular online word game where players attempt to guess a 5-letter word. Hints are given in the form of colors, a green box means the letter is in the right place, yellow means the letter is in the word, but is in the wrong place, and gray means the letter isn’t included in the word. There are 2,315 possible words out of over 12,000 in the English language, which makes the game easier. A new puzzle is released every day, and thousands of people await the release of a new word.

In 2013, Joshua Wardle created Wordle for his partner, Palak Shah. Shah is American, which is why the game includes American English. This was realized when the word “favor” was used, instead of the British spelling “favour”. Many European players were unable to guess this word because of the spelling. In The New York Times article, when asked about this, Wardle replied, “it’s very focused on what she [Shah] knows and doesn’t know.”

On January 31st, 2022, The New York Times announced that it had bought Wordle from Wardle for over $1,000,000. Many players were outraged, since win streaks and stats have been recorded on the original website. Shortly after the Times launched the game on Thursday, February 10, 2022, a fix came out to assure that all players kept their streaks and stats. Players are still having some technical issues, but the company is working to make the transition a smooth one. 

The basis of Wordle is very similar to Invicta Plastics’ 1971 game, Mastermind.  In the game, one player chooses a series of colors that the other player has to guess. It includes similar hints, the chooser being able to tell the player if their colors are in the correct spot. 

Due to the fact that players only get six guesses, people have been sharing tips and tricks to solve the puzzle in as few tries as possible. Using a starting word with common letters is one of these tricks. Vowels and letters like R, T, S, and L are very common, and will be found in many five letter words. Another tip is remembering that some letters could appear twice. Words like skill and apart have the same letter multiple times, meaning a single green letter doesn’t eliminate the possibility of having it again.

Wordle scores can be shared on social media as well. Pressing the share button will copy your results with emojis, so you can brag to your friends without spoiling it for others. 

Play the game at nytimes.com, or try a school themed version!