In Wordle, you have six guesses to figure out the five-letter word. James Doubek/NPR hide caption
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James Doubek/NPR
In Wordle, you have six guesses to figure out the five-letter word.
James Doubek/NPR
A simple word game is the newest social media and pop culture phenomenon: Wordle.
The task is to guess a five-letter word. You have six tries. After each guess, the tiles change colors to show which letters are not in the word (gray), which letters are in the word but in the wrong position (yellow) and which ones are correctly in the word and in the right position (green).
Some people can win in a few minutes. For some of us, it takes ... longer.
Once you finish, you can post on Twitter how many guesses it took without spoiling the challenge for others. It's the same word every day for everyone, and you can play only once a day.
The free game was created by software engineer Josh Wardle of New York City, who made Wordle — a riff on his name — originally for his partner, Palak Shah, who is a fan of word games. Shah also helped with some of the development.
The app really started picking up steam in October, and as of Monday it has more than 2.7 million players, Wardle told NPR's Morning Edition. And Wardle did it without ads or gimmicks. You don't have to sign up with your email or give personal information to play.
Regardless Of What You Think, 'Irregardless' Is A Word
"Making Wordle I specifically rejected a bunch of the things you're supposed to do for a mobile game," Wardle told NPR. He deliberately didn't include push notifications, allow users to play endlessly or build in other tools commonly used today to pull users into playing apps for as long as possible.
Wardle said the rejection of those engagement tricks might have fueled the game's popularity after all — "where the rejection of some of those things has actually attracted people to the game because it feels quite innocent and it just wants you to have fun with it."
However, the rapid attention can be overwhelming.
"It going viral doesn't feel great to be honest. I feel a sense of responsibility for the players," he told The Guardian. "I feel I really owe it to them to keep things running and make sure everything's working correctly."
But Wardle said he has especially enjoyed stories of how the game has helped people keep connected.
"They'll have a family chat group where they share their Wordle results with one another," Wardle told NPR. "And especially during COVID, it being a way for people to connect with friends and family that they couldn't otherwise see, and it just provides this really easy way to touch base with others."
Strategy: vowels or consonants?
Facebook fan groups have now cropped up, while numerous articles and players offer their own strategy tips.
Using as many vowels as possible in the first guess is one tactic — "adieu" offers four of them. Another method is to try using as many common consonants as possible with a word like "snort."
The game uses common five-letter words as its answers, Wardle told the Times, and he took out the possibility of very obscure words no one would ever guess.
There's also a "hard mode," where any yellow or green letter has to be used in subsequent guesses.
If you guess the word within six tries, the game gives you the option of sharing your prowess on social media. The numbers in the tweet displayed here, as this reporter eventually discovered, mean it was game No. 203 and I guessed the correct answer in three of six attempts:
I don't know what this means but I was very impressed with myself: Wordle 203 3/6
⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜
🟩🟩⬜🟨🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
The simplicity, popularity and scarcity of the game — with only one chance to play a day — has offered copycats plenty of opportunity to develop their own versions, including with the ability to play unlimited games.
Of course, you can also take some time once you're finished and try out the NPR puzzle instead.
NPR's Nell Clark contributed to this report.
FAQs
It's the same word every day for everyone, and you can play only once a day. The free game was created by software engineer Josh Wardle of New York City, who made Wordle — a riff on his name — originally for his partner, Palak Shah, who is a fan of word games. Shah also helped with some of the development.
What is the logic behind Wordle? ›
I.
The objective is to correctly guess the word within six attempts. Each time you make a guess, the game provides feedback on which letters are correct and in the right position (marked as green), correctly guessed but in the wrong position (marked as yellow), or not included in the word at all (marked as gray).
What made Wordle go viral? ›
The biggest driver behind the viral growth of the game was social media, particularly Twitter. Since all players on Wordle are guessing a common word every day, it's fun for players to flaunt their scores with followers, friends, and families.
How much did Josh Wardle sell Wordle for? ›
Wardle was reportedly paid a figure in the range of the low seven figures for Wordle, which means at least $1 million. At the time of the sale, Wardle said, "I'd be lying if I said this hasn't been a little overwhelming.
What is the story behind Wordle? ›
How Wordle started. As we mentioned above, Wordle was created by Josh Wardle, a man who knew his partner loved guessing games and wanted to make one of their own. After a few months playing it, the couple released the game in the family's Whatsapp group.
What are the two best words to start Wordle? ›
According to the New York Times, the most popular starting words are “adieu” or “audio.” Because both words consist of many vowels, they quickly make clear what letters are in the solution word.
Is Wordle based on luck or skill? ›
Luck is part of Wordle, so it's always possible to solve faster than the bot. But the bot's reliance on math instead of intuition means in the long run its paths to the answer are hard to top. There's a lot to be learned from the way the bot plays, similar to the way top chess players train by using chess programs.
Do people ever get Wordle on the first try? ›
3. More people solve Wordle on their first guess than can be explained by chance. In the list above, we excluded first guesses that were that day's Wordle solution. That's because, about one game in every 250, a reader gets the answer right on the first try.
What percentage of people get Wordle correct every day? ›
But statistics show that, on average, 0.2 to 0.5 per cent of people guess right on the first try – between five and 12 times more than chance would suggest. Put another way: Of the roughly 2 million daily Wordle players, about 860 people should be guessing the right word on their first try.
What is the average number of tries to get Wordle? ›
Wordle in Four
Most people should, on average, get it in at least 4, even on days where it is harder. Especially if you aren't making risky moves, four guesses should supply you with enough information to make a correct guess.
But knowing what's gone before is important, because Wordle answers don't repeat – so you could easily be wasting guesses.
Does nyt make money from Wordle? ›
Wordle has remained a free and ad-free daily offering under the Times' ownership. Instead of creating revenue directly, the game serves as something of a loss leader for the Times' Games subscription—a bundle that includes full access to its popular crosswords and other daily puzzles like Spelling Bee and Vertex.
Is the Wordle guy making money? ›
Wordle had no advertisem*nts and Wardle's goal was not to make money. Despite Wordle's success, Wardle did not want operating the game to become his full-time job. In January 2022, The New York Times Company announced that it had acquired Wordle "for an undisclosed price in the low-seven figures."
What was the first Wordle answer ever? ›
A Times spokesperson told me it lists the very first Wordle as appearing on June 19, 2021, and the paper celebrated the game's 1,000th word on March 15. Spoiler: That 1,000th word was ERUPT.
How many people still play Wordle? ›
Within two months of its public release in October 2021, the number of daily users shot from 90 to around 300,000. After the New York Times acquired Wordle from its creator, software engineer Josh Wardle, in January 2022, its player base grew to tens of millions.
What is the math behind Wordle? ›
If you have m words and you take a guess then the chances of getting it right are 1/m. If you have 1 word the chances are 1/1, 2 words 1/2, 3 words 1/3, etc. If you add these together you get the expected number of holes-in-one! …
What is the strategy behind Wordle? ›
Essentially, players may want to try to position guessed consonants at the start and end of word guesses. Likewise, vowels almost always end up as second or fourth letters in Wordle puzzles. Knowing these intricacies can make solving Wordle puzzles more practical.
What is the secret to Wordle? ›
One of the easiest ways to improve your Wordle score is to use common letter combinations. For example, the letters "T," "A," and "E" are some of the most common letters used in the English language. By guessing words that contain these letters, you increase your chances of guessing the correct word.
What is the principle of Wordle? ›
In Wordle, players have six tries to guess a five-letter word. After a word is entered, colored tiles reveal whether the letters are in the word and if they are in the correct spot. The model solves the game in just two guesses 4% of the time and in three guesses 57% of the time.
