It’s been over a year since Wordle, the word-based puzzle invented by New York software developer Josh Wardle, was first released to the public in October 2021.
The game quickly grew into an online sensation, with players from around the world sharing their scores across social media.
Wordle has very simple rules, meaning the game can be played by almost anybody regardless of whether they have played word-based puzzles before.
Each day a new five-letter word is selected, which the player is tasked with working out in six guesses or less.
After each guess, the letters light up, indicating how close you were to the answer.
Newsweek spoke to linguistics experts to understand Wordle’s enduring popularity, and to get tips on how best to play the game.
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Erhan Aslan, associate professor of applied linguistics at the University of Reading in the U.K., explained word games have a long history, but the internet has changed how quickly they can expand.
He said: “Word-based puzzles and games have been around for quite a while, and they are nothing new. What is different or new today is how and where people play games. Before the digital age, word puzzle games, particularly crossword puzzles, would usually appear in newspapers and magazines. People would do them while waiting for the bus or train, in the toilet, or just to kill time.
“In today’s digital age, like many other things, many simple games like Wordle can be played online. I think that Wordle gains its popularity not only from its simple rules but also from its virality on social media platforms as a result of people sharing/posting their scores to demonstrate a sense of accomplishment and validation.”
Joel C. Wallenberg, a senior lecturer in language change at the University of York, England, agreed that word games have a long lineage and linked Wordle’s appeal to the inherent enchantment of language.
Speaking to Newsweek, he said: “I would say, though, that language always seems to be fascinating to people. This is perhaps because producing and understanding language is a fantastically complex process, and we are only aware of the tiniest bit of that process while it’s going on; most of what we do when we speak, we do unconsciously. But it may be that people have an inkling that they’re doing something very involved and impressive when they speak, even if they don’t know the details or why it should be that way.
“Language games poke at how conscious (or unconscious) we are of our own linguistic processes, and maybe give us a little more insight into them than we had before. That might be one reason why humans, maybe universally, have always invented and enjoyed language games!”
Aslan compared the rise of Wordle with other viral online games which have spawned vibrant online communities, noting the important social functions such games can develop.
The academic commented: “There are many other non-word games that were popular on the internet and social media platforms before Wordle, such as Facebook‘s farming game FarmVille (2009) with over 83 million active users at the time and the tile-matching video game Candy Crush Saga (2012) with over 90 million players. I think Wordle has about only 300,000 players as of 2022, so it is not yet as popular as other online games we have seen.
“People play such games today not just to kill time, but also to interact with others in different ways and create online conviviality—i.e., forming and maintaining relationships. For example, people show solidarity while playing these online games by sending each other stuff (e.g., gifts, lives, moves, farming equipment etc. depending on the game) or sharing tips (as we see in Wordle).”
Speaking to Newsweek in January, Wardle explained why he chose five-letter words for his puzzle.
He said: “There is a reason that every word is 5 letters long and that you are allowed six attempts to guess it. That might seem arbitrary but, with the prototype version, I tested different word lengths and experimented with the number of tries that players were allowed.
“Through that process of refinement, I figured out that five letters and six tries were the ideal sweet spot. It’s just limited enough to feel challenging and to make you think, but most of the time people still manage to solve it. So, you feel a real sense of real accomplishment.”
Wordle was purchased by The New York Times in January for a seven-figure fee, though it remains free to play.
If you’re struggling with Friday’s Wordle, Newsweek has some hints and tips to help you crack the puzzle.
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