Wordle: What you need to know about the word game that is taking over the internet

Image for representational purpose only. Photo: istock

For every one of you who spends time on the internet these days, the word ‘Wordle' will seem quite familiar. It is turning out to become as addictive as many other games that have ruled the internet in the past. Yes, Reels are popular and so is Twitter's Spaces but this word game is challenging many people and they are coming back to get it right. They are now even posting their successes all over social media, especially Twitter and the buzz around the game just keeps on getting better.

According to the New York Times, the game which had 20 users on November 1 now has over 300,000 people playing it daily. The popularity of the game has resulted in many developers making clones of the game available as an application for people to play more than once. In response to the clones, tech giant Apple has taken down the clones from their App Store and kept only one game by the same name, which was released five years ago.

Amid all the hype, here's all you need to know about the game:

What is the game about?
Wordle is only a web-based game and isn't available as an application on the Google Play Store or the Apple App Store. Every user who plays the game can do it only once in a day. It gives players six chances to guess only one five-letter English word daily. If a player guesses the word correctly, they can post about it on social media, if not, they have to just come back the next day and try again.

How to play it?
Since the game gives you only six chances to make the five-letter word, it is important to choose them correctly. If you get the position of the letter correct, the tile will appear green, if the letter is in the word but in the wrong position, the tile will appear yellow, and finally, if the letter isn't in the word at all, it will be indicated with a grey colour.

For those who may not get it at first, if the tile appears green, the player has to place the letter in the same position in the next chance. Thus, adding the letters in the correct positions in the following chance to make the five-letter word in least number of chances.

Why is it unique?
While most other games may give you multiple chances in a day, the fact that players get only six chances to get the word of the day correct, is what makes it more challenging. After they are out of chances, they have to come back only next day to try their hand at it again. Every person gets the same word every day around the world.

Interestingly, the game is free and doesn't require people to add any personal details and simply loads once the user comes to the website. Luckily, the player is also not annoyed by advertisements popping up and disturbing the experience. Right now, it is a no-money project.

Who created it?
According to a New York Times (NYT) report, the game was created during the Covid-19 pandemic by Josh Wardle, an ex-Reddit software engineer for his partner Palak Shah, who loves word games. While it was a game for both of them to play, it soon became popular within his family and Brooklyn-based Wardle, soon released the game, which is a clear play on his name, into the world in October 2021.

In the same interview with NYT, Wardle said he first created a prototype of the game in 2013 but his friends weren't too impressed by it. It was actually the NYT Spelling Bee and daily crossword, which Wardle and his partner got hooked onto during the pandemic that made him want to create a game she would enjoy. The game currently has 2,500 five-letter words in the English language and can be played by anybody on the internet without a fuss.

Here are some people who are tweeting about it: