As a kid, and still today, I have always loved the game Mastermind. One day during winter break, my mom told me there was this cool new game that reminded her of Mastermind. Of course, I had to know what that game was. We sat down on the couch and I looked over her shoulder as she guessed her first word. I was immediately intrigued and had to try on my own. Since that moment, no day has gone by where a five by six grid of letters hasn’t shown up on my phone.
What was once just a game created by software engineer Josh Wardle for his partner is now a daily obsession for people of all ages and backgrounds. I’m sure most people have come across Wordle by now as it is all over Tiktok, Facebook, and Twitter. But, if you for some reason aren’t familiar with this new fixation, Wordle is a quick and easy game in which everybody in the world is trying to guess the same five letter word. You get six tries, after each guess, a letter will turn gray if it is completely wrong, yellow if it’s the correct letter in the wrong spot, and green if it’s the correct letter in the correct spot. Every day comes with a new mysterious word.
At face value, it seems like a very simple game: just keep guessing five letter words until you get it right. But for some reason, people, including myself, are becoming hooked and adding it into their daily routines. For me, minutes after waking up, I open Wordle and try to complete the puzzle before it is too late to stay in bed. It has become a crucial part of my morning routine. After I complete the Wordle, I always send a text to my mom with my Wordle score and wait for her reply with hers. I look forward to comparing scores and seeing the words we each guessed.
So is there a strategy? I have come across many debates on tiktok, do you start with words like adieu? Irate? Or do you choose a different word to start everyday? Personally, I think it is more exciting to choose different words to start. Somedays, I will choose the first word that comes to my mind, or the first five letter word that I read on something. Then I try to use common letters and vowels. After a while of playing, you realize what letters work best together and what letters not to use. Since Wordle was bought by the New York Times in early February, the mystery words have gotten arguably harder. Some words are very difficult and unfamiliar to me, while others are easier and are ironically harder to guess sometimes.
If you enjoy Wordle, there are other puzzle games on the New York Times that might be of interest. I have started playing the Vertex game as well as the Spelling Bee, which have to do with patterns and words. Additionally, Wordle’s popularity has led to the creation of many similar games such as Nerdle (if you like math), Quordle (guessing four words), Worldle (guessing countries), Waffle (Wordle but on a grid), and more.
Just a simple game like Wordle has sparked interest in millions of people around the world. If you like pattern games like me and enjoy a daily challenge, I would highly encourage you to try this cool new game.