Here's How To Play Wordle, The New Game The Internet Is Obsessed With
There's nothing like seeing a green square.
Perhaps you’ve already seen the green, yellow, and gray squares showing up all over your Twitter timeline, but before you continue scrolling, here’s what they mean. In October 2021, software engineer Josh Wardle created and developed a word guessing game for his partner, Palak Shah, who loves word games. With a little play on his name, Wordle was built as a fun little game for the two of them. But Wordle’s audience quickly grew to Wardle’s inner circle when he figured he was on to something. Today, the game is a massive hit on Twitter and shows no sign of slowing down. So, here’s a rundown of where to find and play Wordle, the new puzzle game Twitter loves.
The puzzle game is simple in terms of design and doesn’t have any pop-up banners or ads to get in the way of the fun. In a Jan. 3 interview with The New York Times, Wardle said he believed the non-flashy design is part of what intrigues users. “I think people kind of appreciate that there’s this thing online that’s just fun,” Wardle said. “It’s not trying to do anything shady with your data or your eyeballs. It’s just a game that’s fun.”
The game is totally free to play on Wardle’s website, and solving the daily Wordle puzzles has become routine for many fans. With just a little over three months since debuting to the world, Worlde continues to be the center of the conversation on Twitter as the word game now — after popular demand — has a “share to Twitter feature” that allows users to share their results in a spoil-free way. The new feature was added in mid-December and has resulted in the game increasing by 1764% in mentions since Dec. 23, per Twitter data the company shared with Elite Daily.
So, what exactly is this game that has people so hype that stars like Jimmy Fallon tweeting their results? Here’s what you need to know.
What Is Wordle
Wordle is a daily word guessing game created by Josh Wardle. He created the game as a gift to his partner who loves puzzle games. The concept is simple: try to guess a secret five-letter word in no more than six attempts. As you enter guesses, the game will reveal if you got any of the letters correct to help you out.
Where To Play
Users don’t need to download an app to play. Instead, head straight to your search bar and type “Wordle.” The word game is a once-a-day game that can be played straight from the website Wardle created. Unfortunately, once you’ve played the day’s puzzle, you’ll have to wait until tomorrow for another one.
How It Works
Players have six chances to guess a five-letter word. After each guess, the interface will let you know if any of the letters you used are in the word or not by highlighting the letter with a green, yellow, or gray square.
After the six chances are up, that’s it for the day as Wordle sets up a new word each day.
Green square: If the letter is highlighted with a green square, you’re in luck. This means the letter is in the correct place and should be used as a reference when taking the next guess.
Yellow square: Almost there! A yellow square means the letter is in the word but in a different place.
Gray square: Try again! A gray square means the letter is not in the word at all. This may sound like a bad result, but it can also be very valuable information about what the secret word is.
Once you guess the word — or not — you can share your win and frustrations on Twitter by hitting the “share to Twitter” button, which will post your gameplay in a pattern of green, yellow, and gray square emojis.
