A lover of word games, I have downloaded a number of apps on my phone hoping to find the perfect one, all to be deleted merely days later. But when a fellow floormate recommended Wordle, a website that became popular on TikTok, I immediately made it a part of my daily routine.
Wordle is a puzzle based on the web, encouraging players to guess a 5-letter word in 6 tries or less. After each guess, the letters will change color depending on how accurate the placement is (green being correct, yellow being close, gray being wrong). The most exciting part is that unlike Words with Friends, where you have to constantly check-in and commit yourself to creating new words, the website offers a new word that everyone playing that day receives, every 24 hours. After every play, the website will keep track of your wins, but no need for stress over doing it every day. It doesn’t send push notifications or even make you lose your streak if you decide to take a break or forget. If you’re like me, the lack of commitment the website offers is a game-changer (pun intended).
While the game itself doesn’t offer a committed relationship, it was ironically created because of one. According to the New York Times, Josh Wardle, a software engineer in Brooklyn, made the game for his wife, a fellow lover of word games, to pass time during quarantine. And if you didn’t guess, Wordle was formed from the fun play of his last name, his signature if you will.
It gained quick popularity amongst fellow family members, and eventually accumulated more than 300,000 daily players by January of this year. While it isn’t on the same level as the NYT Crossword or Spelling Bee, it offers a simplistic and aesthetically pleasing way to guess words.
The origins of Wordle is a sweet love story for the upcoming Valentine’s Day season, especially with Covid-19 and Omicron still running rampant. While many out there are questioning if love really exists or if they will ever find it for themselves in this seemingly unending pandemic, this simple word game’s origin exhibits otherwise: despite isolation, love is still in the air. When playing, it’s a comfort knowing that underneath the seemingly complex mechanisms of choosing letters in an attempt to make the correct word, there is a simple and beautiful love story that reveals romance is still alive and well.
If interested in playing, click this link!