Wordle, a word puzzle game created by software engineer Josh Wardle, became a viral sensation during the COVID-19 pandemic. Wardle, originally designing the game as a couple’s activity for him and his partner, decided to share it with other puzzle enthusiasts. By January 2022, Wordle had over 2 million players, with its daily puzzles posing a significant challenge even for its creator. Wardle admits to struggling with the puzzles, often needing multiple attempts to find the answer.
Despite Wordle’s popularity, both regular players and Wardle himself find the daily puzzles to be quite difficult. Wardle mentioned in an interview with Newsweek that he and his partner play the game together each morning, with his partner consistently performing better in finding the answers. The original list of 2,315 possible answers for Wordle was curated by Wardle, but he made sure to randomize the selection process to avoid any advantage for himself. The New York Times acquired the game in January 2022 and made some adjustments, including removing certain offensive, outdated, or non-U.S. spelling options from the word bank.
For players struggling to come up with the daily Wordle answer, hints are available to provide some guidance. These hints can include clues such as the type of word (verb or noun), the number of vowels, and the starting letter. Wordle enthusiasts can use these hints to improve their chances of solving the puzzle. If a player is unable to guess the word correctly, they can reset and try again the following day as Wordle resets at midnight in their local time zone. Alternatively, players can explore other word puzzle games like Typochondria to keep their brains engaged.
Wordle’s success can be attributed to its simplicity and ability to challenge players while providing a fun and engaging experience. The game’s popularity continues to grow as more players join in on the daily puzzles and share their experiences online. With The New York Times now overseeing Wordle’s word bank and selection process, players can look forward to more curated and challenging puzzles in the future. Despite the difficulty of the daily puzzles, Wordle remains a beloved word game for millions of players worldwide.
