The Craze About Wordle
In just a few months, a mere five-letter game has taken over the Internet and our worlds. Releasing a new word each day for users to guess, Wordle has enticed people across the world through its sheer simplicity. An instant sensation, the game has become popular on social media and has even garnered the attention of the acclaimed New York Times.
In this game users have six chances to guess the given five-letter word of the day – a gray tile means the letter is not in the word, a yellow tile means the letter is in the word, and a green tile means that the letter is in the word and in the correct position. With these straightforward, consistent rules, people across the world wake up eagerly each morning, ready to take a guess at what the word of the day could be. Though the rules are simple, guessing the word can often be a day-long feat as people are determined to succeed. In fact, it has become a competition among users to see who can guess the daily word in the least number of tries, and users can share their results with friends and family, making the game all the more competitive. The competition has sparked conversation on what the best words to start with are, from adieu and later to suave or radio. From common letters in everyday vocabulary to words with the most number of vowels, several techniques to play the game the “best” way have emerged.
It seems to be that through this excitement of the newly popularized game, an unwritten rule of not spoiling the word of the day has also formed. Every day, people are committed to guessing the Wordle on their own merit, and many refuse to receive any hints. In fact, Twitter has suspended the account @wordlinator for giving away clues for the next day’s solution, allowing users a fair shot at answering correctly. As a way of social connection, Wordle provides the ability to share one’s results without giving away the answer and appeals to a wide audience of people motivated to guess the daily word. The common understanding of the rules and the chatter surrounding the word of the day is what makes Wordle such a popular game in our day and age, serving as a brain-teaser for puzzle solvers and a means of social interaction for social media users, as well.
