In October 2021, Welsh-born software engineer Josh Wardle released Wordle, a word-guessing game that quickly gained popularity. The game, which allows players six attempts to guess a five-letter word, features gray tiles to indicate incorrect letters, yellow tiles for correct letters in the wrong position, and green tiles for correct letters in the right position. Wordle’s simple yet challenging gameplay has contributed to its widespread appeal, with the number of users skyrocketing from 90 in November 2021 to 300,000 in January 2022. The New York Times purchased the game for a substantial fee, making it the publication’s most popular online game.
Applied linguistics expert Erhan Aslan, who teaches at the University of Reading in the U.K., has offered advice for Wordle players to improve their chances of success. Aslan emphasizes the importance of choosing starting words that include commonly used vowels and consonants and sound sequences, while avoiding words that begin with less common letters like q, z, j, or x. Players can use their knowledge of phonics to narrow down potential words and eliminate incorrect guesses. Newsweek has provided hints for the latest Wordle puzzle, such as the number of vowels in the answer, the first letter being “S,” the presence of a repeated letter, and the answer being a verb, noun, and adjective.
Wordle players can challenge themselves daily with a new puzzle that updates at midnight. Newsweek offers clues and tips for each new game, such as those provided for the puzzle on November 9th. Players can also explore other word-based puzzles like Typochondria and Spellspire to keep themselves entertained while waiting for the next Wordle challenge. With its addictive gameplay and growing popularity, Wordle has become a favorite online game under The New York Times’ banner, attracting players from around the world who are eager to test their word-guessing skills and maintain their winning streaks.
