Wordle
{{Short description|2021 browser game}}
{{good article}}
{{pp-pc1}}
{{Distinguish|Worldle}}
{{Infobox video game
| title = Wordle
| image = Wordle Lockup.svg
| developer = Josh Wardle
| publisher = Josh Wardle (2021–2022)
The New York Times Games (since 2022)
| platform = Browser, Mobile app
| released = October 2021
| genre = Word game
| modes = Single-player
}}
Wordle is a web-based word game created and developed by the Welsh software engineer Josh Wardle. In the game, players have six attempts to guess a five-letter word, receiving feedback through colored tiles that indicate correct letters and their placement. A single puzzle is released daily, with all players attempting to solve the same word. It was inspired by word games like Jotto and the game show Lingo.
Originally developed as a personal project for Wardle and his partner, Wordle was publicly released in October 2021. It gained widespread popularity in late 2021 after the introduction of a shareable emoji-based results format, which led to viral discussion on social media. The game's success spurred the creation of numerous clones, adaptations in other languages, and variations with unique twists. It has been well-received, being played 4.8 billion times during 2023.
The New York Times Company acquired Wordle in January 2022 for a "low seven-figure sum". The game remained free but underwent changes, including the removal of offensive or politically sensitive words and the introduction of account logins to track stats. Wordle was later added to the New York Times Crossword app and accompanied by WordleBot, which gave players analysis on their gameplay. In November 2022, Tracy Bennett became the game's first editor, refining word selection and occasionally aligning puzzle words with holidays.
Gameplay
File:Wordle Emoji Screenshot.png
Every day, a new five-letter word is chosen, and players attempt to guess it within six tries.{{Cite news |last=Astle |first=David |date=December 31, 2021 |title=Tips from an expert: How to solve everyone's favourite game Wordle |work=Sydney Morning Herald |url=https://www.smh.com.au/culture/books/tips-from-an-expert-how-to-solve-everyone-s-favourite-game-wordle-20211230-p59kwl.html |url-status=live |access-date=December 31, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211230230931/https://www.smh.com.au/culture/books/tips-from-an-expert-how-to-solve-everyone-s-favourite-game-wordle-20211230-p59kwl.html |archive-date=December 30, 2021}} After each guess, the letters are color-coded to indicate their accuracy: green means the letter is correct and in the right position, yellow means it is in the word but in the wrong position, and gray means it is not in the word at all.{{Cite news |last=Tech Desk |date=December 21, 2021 |title=Wordle: All about the viral game Twitter is going bonkers over |work=The Indian Express |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/technology/social/wordle-all-about-the-viral-game-twitter-is-going-bonkers-over-7682968/ |url-status=live |access-date=December 31, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220101000801/https://indianexpress.com/article/technology/social/wordle-all-about-the-viral-game-twitter-is-going-bonkers-over-7682968/ |archive-date=January 1, 2022}}{{Cite web |last=Minor |first=Jordan |date=January 21, 2022 |title=You All Need to Calm Down About Wordle |url=https://www.pcmag.com/opinions/you-all-need-to-calm-down-about-wordle |url-status=live |website=PCMag |access-date=February 10, 2025 |archive-date=August 6, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240806041242/https://www.pcmag.com/opinions/you-all-need-to-calm-down-about-wordle }} If a guessed word contains multiple instances of the same letter—such as the "o"s in "robot"—those letters will be marked green or yellow only if the answer also contains them multiple times; otherwise, extra occurrences will be marked gray.{{Cite news|last=Gularte|first=Alejandra|date=January 21, 2022|title=A Guide to Wordle, Twitter's Favorite Game|work=Vulture|url=https://www.vulture.com/2022/01/wordle-tips-tricks.html|access-date=February 7, 2022|archive-date=February 7, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220207123035/https://www.vulture.com/2022/01/wordle-tips-tricks.html|url-status=live}}
Each day's answer is drawn from a curated list of 2,309 words. Wordle follows American spelling conventions, which has led to complaints from non-US players about a potential disadvantage (e.g., the use of "favor" rather than the non-US "favour").{{cite news |last1=Kolirin |first1=Lianne |date=February 9, 2022 |title=American spelling on Wordle fails to raise a smile among Britons |url=https://www.thetimes.com/world/us-world/article/american-spelling-on-wordle-fails-to-raise-a-smile-among-britons-7pnkwxh7c |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220212001834/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/american-spelling-on-wordle-fails-to-raise-a-smile-among-britons-7pnkwxh7c |archive-date=February 12, 2022 |access-date=February 12, 2022 |work=The Times}}{{Cite news |last=Hassan |first=Jennifer |date=January 13, 2022 |title=Wordle sparks transatlantic rift as Brits denounce American English spelling of 'favor' |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/01/13/wordle-game-american-english-favor/ |archive-url=https://archive.today/20220113150937/https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/01/13/wordle-game-american-english-favor/ |archive-date=January 13, 2022 |access-date=January 13, 2022 |newspaper=The Washington Post}} The game includes a "hard mode" option, which requires players to use any revealed green or yellow letters in subsequent guesses.{{Cite news |last=Lyons |first=Kim |date=January 20, 2022 |title=How to play Wordle |work=The Verge |url=https://www.theverge.com/22892044/wordle-free-game-online-how-to-puzzle |url-status=live |access-date=January 20, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220125012033/https://www.theverge.com/22892044/wordle-free-game-online-how-to-puzzle |archive-date=January 25, 2022}} The daily word is the same for all players worldwide.{{Cite news |last=Carpenter |first=Nicole |date=December 29, 2021 |title=What is Wordle? A viral word game everyone's playing |work=Polygon |url=https://www.polygon.com/gaming/22858324/wordle-viral-word-game-explainer |url-status=live |access-date=December 31, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211230002140/https://www.polygon.com/gaming/22858324/wordle-viral-word-game-explainer |archive-date=December 30, 2021}} Additionally, the game offers both a dark theme and a high-contrast mode for colorblind accessibility, replacing the standard green and yellow color scheme with orange and blue.{{Cite news |last=Pisani |first=Joseph |date=January 19, 2022 |title=What Is Wordle? How to Play the Viral Word Game and Tricks to Impress Your Friends |work=The Wall Street Journal |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/wordle-what-is-word-game-11642016202 |url-status=live |access-date=January 20, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220125012035/https://www.wsj.com/articles/wordle-what-is-word-game-11642016202 |archive-date=January 25, 2022}}
Conceptually and stylistically, the game is similar to the 1955 pen-and-paper game Jotto and the game show franchise Lingo.{{Cite news |last=Van Stam |first=Tom |date=January 5, 2022 |title=Woordspel Wordle is binnen een mum van tijd een van de populairste games ter wereld |language=nl |trans-title=In no time, word game Wordle has become one of the most popular games in the world |work=IGN Benelux |url=https://nl.ign.com/wordle/134932/news/woordspel-wordle-binnen-mum-van-tijd-een-van-de-populairste-games-ter-wereld |url-status=live |access-date=January 5, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220106042401/https://nl.ign.com/wordle/134932/news/woordspel-wordle-binnen-mum-van-tijd-een-van-de-populairste-games-ter-wereld |archive-date=January 6, 2022}}{{Cite news |last=Orland |first=Kyle |date=January 12, 2022 |title=Wordle and IP law: What happens when a hot game gets cloned |work=Ars Technica |url=https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2022/01/wordle-and-ip-law-what-happens-when-a-hot-game-gets-cloned/ |url-status=live |access-date=January 12, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220112185119/https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2022/01/wordle-and-ip-law-what-happens-when-a-hot-game-gets-cloned/ |archive-date=January 12, 2022}} The gameplay is also similar to the two-player Word Mastermind variety of the board game Mastermind{{hair space}}{{Cite magazine |last=Gallaga |first=Omar L. |date=January 25, 2022 |title=What to Play When You're Not Playing Wordle |url=https://www.wired.com/story/wordle-alternatives/ |publisher=Condé Nast |magazine=Wired |access-date=February 1, 2022 |archive-date=February 1, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220201171024/https://www.wired.com/story/wordle-alternatives/ |url-status=live }}{{cite news |last1=Pisani |first1=Joseph |title=Wordle Has People Digging Out Old Games. Mastermind or Jotto, Anyone? |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/wordle-has-people-digging-out-old-games-mastermind-or-jotto-anyone-11643586137 |website=The Wall Street Journal |date=January 31, 2022 |publisher=Dow Jones & Company, Inc. |access-date=19 February 2023 |quote=Jan. 31, 2022 9:00 am ET Wordle fans are returning to childhood games including Mastermind, which tests players' logic skills using colour codes, similar to what Wordle does with words and letters.}}—and the game "Bulls and cows", with the exception that Wordle confirms the specific letters that are correct.{{Cite news |last=Victor |first=Daniel |date=January 3, 2022 |title=Wordle Is a Love Story |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/03/technology/wordle-word-game-creator.html |url-status=live |access-date=January 5, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220105013745/http://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/03/technology/wordle-word-game-creator.html |archive-date=January 5, 2022}}{{Cite news |last=Barbaschow |first=Asha |date=December 22, 2021 |title=Wordle: It's Like Mastermind but for Words |work=Gizmodo Australia |url=https://www.gizmodo.com.au/2021/12/what-is-wordle/ |url-status=live |access-date=January 19, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220117045343/https://www.gizmodo.com.au/2021/12/what-is-wordle/ |archive-date=January 17, 2022}}{{Cite news |last=Astle |first=David |date=December 31, 2021 |title=Tips from an expert: How to solve everyone's favourite game Wordle |work=The Sydney Morning Herald |url=https://www.smh.com.au/culture/books/tips-from-an-expert-how-to-solve-everyone-s-favourite-game-wordle-20211230-p59kwl.html |url-status=live |access-date=January 19, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211230230931/https://www.smh.com.au/culture/books/tips-from-an-expert-how-to-solve-everyone-s-favourite-game-wordle-20211230-p59kwl.html |archive-date=December 30, 2021}}
According to data collected by The New York Times, the most common first guesses are "adieu", "audio", "stare", "raise", and "arise".{{Cite news |last=Amlen |first=Deb |date=August 23, 2022 |title=What's Your Favorite Starting Word in Wordle? |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/23/crosswords/favorite-wordle-starting-word.html |access-date=September 7, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=September 7, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220907073626/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/23/crosswords/favorite-wordle-starting-word.html |url-status=live }}{{Cite news |last=Amlen |first=Deb |date=September 1, 2022 |title=Few Wordle Players Use Consistent Starting Words, but When They Do, It's ADIEU |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/01/crosswords/wordle-starting-words-adieu.html |access-date=September 7, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=September 7, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220907073626/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/01/crosswords/wordle-starting-words-adieu.html |url-status=live }} However, it was found that starting words such as "adieu" and "audio" may put people at a disadvantage as it takes more attempts for people to solve than if they start with words such as "slate", "crane", and "trace".{{Cite news |last1=Katz |first1=Josh |last2=Bhatia |first2=Aatish |date=2023-12-17 |title=Seven Things We Learned Analyzing 515 Million Wordles |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/17/upshot/wordle-bot-year-in-review.html |access-date=2024-03-11 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=2024-10-24 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20241024020431/https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/17/upshot/wordle-bot-year-in-review.html |url-status=live }} Computer algorithms can consistently solve the puzzle within five of the six allowed guesses.{{Cite arXiv |eprint=2202.00557 |class=cs.CL |first1=Benton J. |last1=Anderson |first2=Jesse G. |last2=Meyer |title=Finding the optimal human strategy for Wordle using maximum correct letter probabilities and reinforcement learning |date=2022-02-01}}
History
=Early development=
In 2013, Josh Wardle created an early prototype of Wordle, initially calling it Mr. Bugs' Wordy Nugz.{{Cite web|url=https://www.theverge.com/24186786/wordle-original-name-mr-bugs-wordy-nugz-wardle|title=You will never guess Wordle's terrible, hilarious original name|first=Jay|last=Peters|date=June 26, 2024|website=The Verge|access-date=June 26, 2024|archive-date=June 26, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240626224401/https://www.theverge.com/24186786/wordle-original-name-mr-bugs-wordy-nugz-wardle|url-status=live}} Inspired by the color-matching mechanics of Mastermind,{{cite web |last=Mackovich |first=Sam |date=March 25, 2022 |title=Wordle creator describes game's rise, says NYT sale was "a way to walk away" |url=https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2022/03/wordle-creator-describes-games-rise-says-nyt-sale-was-a-way-to-walk-away/ |access-date=March 25, 2022 |work=Ars Technica |archive-date=January 25, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240125001129/https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2022/03/wordle-creator-describes-games-rise-says-nyt-sale-was-a-way-to-walk-away/ |url-status=live }}{{Cite news |last=Wakefield |first=Jane |date=January 5, 2022 |title=Wordle creator promises viral game will stay simple and ad-free |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-59881512 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220105135341/https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-59881512 |archive-date=January 5, 2022 |access-date=January 5, 2022 |work=BBC News}} the prototype allowed players to solve puzzles consecutively. Originally, the game included all 13,000 five-letter words in the English language, but Wardle found that his partner, Palak Shah, struggled with many obscure words; this made guessing feel as random as it did in Mastermind. To improve the experience, he had Shah filter the list, reducing it to about 2,000 more familiar words—enough to last roughly five years at one puzzle per day. She categorized words into those she knew, those she didn't, and those she might have known. By 2014, Wardle had completed the prototype but eventually lost interest and set it aside.
In the years that followed, Wardle created the online social experiments The Button and Place while working for Reddit. When the COVID-19 pandemic struck, he and his partner "got really into" The New York Times{{'s}} Spelling Bee and daily crossword puzzle.{{Cite news |last1=Holliday |first1=Nicole |last2=Zimmer |first2=Ben |date=January 19, 2022 |title=Wordle's Creator Thinks He Knows Why the Game Has Gone So Viral |work=Slate |url=https://slate.com/culture/2022/01/wordle-game-creator-wardle-twitter-scores-strategy-stats.html |url-status=live |access-date=January 19, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220125012034/https://slate.com/culture/2022/01/wordle-game-creator-wardle-twitter-scores-strategy-stats.html |archive-date=January 25, 2022}} This reignited his interest in Wordle, and he drew inspiration from Spelling Bee's minimalist web design and its one-puzzle-per-day format. By January 2021, Wardle had published Wordle on the web, shared only with himself and his partner. He named it Wordle as a pun on his surname.
=Rise in popularity=
Later he shared it with his relatives, where it "rapidly became an obsession" for them. Over the next few months, he introduced the game to close friends, and by mid-October 2021, it began spreading virally. At one point, Wardle discovered that a group of friends in New Zealand had developed an emoji-style display for sharing their results. Inspired by this, he incorporated the feature into the game.{{Cite news |last1=Cao |first1=Steffi |last2=Dahir |first2=Ikran |date=January 15, 2022 |title=How A Group Of Twitter Colleagues Blew Up Wordle |work=BuzzFeed News |url=https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/stefficao/how-wordle-went-viral-strategy |url-status=live |access-date=January 18, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220116194234/https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/stefficao/how-wordle-went-viral-strategy |archive-date=January 16, 2022}} After adding the sharing function, Wordle became a viral phenomenon on Twitter in late December 2021.{{Cite news |last=Lum |first=Patrick |date=December 23, 2021 |title=What is Wordle? The new viral word game delighting the internet |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/games/2021/dec/23/what-is-wordle-the-new-viral-word-game-delighting-the-internet |url-status=live |access-date=January 1, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211231224523/https://www.theguardian.com/games/2021/dec/23/what-is-wordle-the-new-viral-word-game-delighting-the-internet |archive-date=December 31, 2021}}{{Cite news |last=Price |first=Renata |date=December 30, 2021 |title=Wordle Is That Square Grid Game You've Been Seeing All Over Social Media |work=Kotaku |url=https://kotaku.com/wordle-is-that-square-grid-game-you-ve-been-seeing-all-1848288370 |url-status=live |access-date=December 31, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211230235606/https://kotaku.com/wordle-is-that-square-grid-game-you-ve-been-seeing-all-1848288370 |archive-date=December 30, 2021}}
Subsequently, the game's player base rose greatly: from 90 players on November 1, 2021 to over 300,000 by January 2, 2022, and more than 2 million a week later.{{cite web |last=Hall |first=Rachel |date=January 11, 2022 |title=Wordle creator overwhelmed by global success of hit puzzle |url=https://www.theguardian.com/games/2022/jan/11/wordle-creator-overwhelmed-by-global-success-of-hit-puzzle |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220111173024/https://www.theguardian.com/games/2022/jan/11/wordle-creator-overwhelmed-by-global-success-of-hit-puzzle |archive-date=January 11, 2022 |website=The Guardian |access-date=January 11, 2022}} Between January 1 and 13, 1.2 million Wordle results were shared on Twitter. Several media outlets, including CNET and The Indian Express, attributed the game's popularity to its daily puzzle format.{{Cite news |last=Serrels |first=Mark |date=December 21, 2021 |title=WTF is Wordle? Everything to know about the new word game craze |work=CNET |url=https://www.cnet.com/news/wtf-is-wordle-everything-to-know-about-the-new-word-game-craze/ |url-status=live |access-date=December 31, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220101000801/https://www.cnet.com/news/wtf-is-wordle-everything-to-know-about-the-new-word-game-craze/ |archive-date=January 1, 2022}} Wardle suggested that having one puzzle per day creates a sense of scarcity, leaving players wanting more; he said it encourages players to spend only three minutes on the game each day. He also noted some subtler details about the game, such as the game's keyboard changing to reflect the game state, as reasons for players' enjoyment. Despite its viral success, Wardle stated he had no plans to monetize the game, emphasizing, "It's not trying to do anything shady with your data or your eyeballs ... It's just a game that's fun."{{Cite news |date=January 4, 2022 |title=Wordle: why the inventor of the fiendishly addictive online game doesn't want your money|work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/games/2022/jan/04/wordle-why-inventor-of-fiendishly-addictive-online-game-doesnt-want-your-money |url-status=live |access-date=January 5, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220104222132/https://www.theguardian.com/games/2022/jan/04/wordle-why-inventor-of-fiendishly-addictive-online-game-doesnt-want-your-money |archive-date=January 4, 2022}} In an interview on BBC Radio 4's Today, Wardle stated that he does not know each day's word so he can still enjoy playing the game himself.{{Cite AV media |url=https://archive.org/details/BBC_Radio_4_FM_20220105_060000?start=5083 |title=Today |date=January 5, 2022 |type=Radio programme |publisher=BBC Radio 4 |time=1:24:43 |time-caption=Segment starting |access-date=January 5, 2022}}
Separately, a completely unrelated game called Wordle! by Steven Cravotta—released on the App Store five years before Wardle's Wordle—experienced a surge in downloads due to name confusion. Between January 5 and 12, 2022, Cravotta's game was downloaded over 200,000 times.{{Cite tweet |number=1481318813064859651 |user=StevenCravotta |title=came across my app, also conveniently named Wordle. |author=Cravotta, Steven}}{{Cite news |last=Stanton |first=Rich |date=January 17, 2022 |title=Older game called Wordle hits the jackpot, creator donates the windfall to charity |work=PC Gamer |url=https://www.pcgamer.com/older-game-called-wordle-hits-the-jackpot-creator-donates-the-windfall-to-charity/ |url-status=live |access-date=January 19, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220125012043/https://anyclip.com/?source=powered&wid=0011r00002Sgfyv_1574 |archive-date=January 25, 2022}} Recognizing that many users mistakenly believed it to be Wardle's game, Cravotta partnered with Wardle to donate $50,000 in proceeds to Boost, a tutoring charity for Oakland, California, schoolchildren.{{cite web |last=Sheridan |first=Conner |date=January 14, 2022 |title=He made a different game called Wordle 5 years ago and now he's donating the profits |url=https://www.gamesradar.com/wordle-app/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220114213913/https://www.gamesradar.com/wordle-app/ |archive-date=January 14, 2022 |website=GamesRadar |access-date=January 14, 2022}}{{cite news | url = https://www.washingtonpost.com/video-games/2022/02/24/the-other-wordle-founder/ | title = When Wordles collide: 'Wordle!' developer donates $50,000 after old app goes viral by accident | first = Amanda | last = Florian | date = February 24, 2022 | access-date = February 26, 2022 | newspaper = The Washington Post | archive-date = February 25, 2022 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220225160138/https://www.washingtonpost.com/video-games/2022/02/24/the-other-wordle-founder/ | url-status = live }} Google Search also created an Easter egg when one searches for "Wordle", with the site's logo becoming an animated game of Wordle to find the word "Google".{{cite web |last=Molina |first=Brett |date=January 21, 2022 |title=This is what happens when you Google 'Wordle' |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/gaming/2022/01/21/wordle-google-search-viral-game-now/6614587001/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220122001845/https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/gaming/2022/01/21/wordle-google-search-viral-game-now/6614587001/ |archive-date=January 22, 2022 |website=USA Today |access-date=January 21, 2022}} To prevent spoilers, Twitter blocked an auto-reply bot that had been posting the next day's answer in response to players' results.{{cite web |last=Clark |first=Mitchell |date=January 24, 2022 |title=Twitter suspends Wordle-ruining bot |url=https://www.theverge.com/2022/1/24/22899339/wordle-twitter-spoilers-banned-word-puzzle-answers |website=The Verge |access-date=January 24, 2022 |archive-date=January 24, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220124200457/https://www.theverge.com/2022/1/24/22899339/wordle-twitter-spoilers-banned-word-puzzle-answers |url-status=live }}
=Acquisition by the New York Times Company=
On January 31, 2022, the New York Times Company, the parent company of the New York Times, acquired Wordle from Wardle for an "undisclosed price in the low-seven figures." Wardle explained that the overwhelming attention he and his partner had received in the preceding months made them uncomfortable. He was also reluctant to spend time combating the many Wordle clones that had emerged. "It felt really complicated to me, really unpleasant," he said, adding that selling the game allowed him to "walk away from all of that." Jonathan Knight, head of the New York Times games department, first reached out to Wardle on January 5, 2022, just two days after Wordle was featured in a New York Times article. The acquisition was finalized by the end of the month, with chief product officer Alex Hardiman stating, "I don't think I've ever seen us move on an acquisition this fast."{{cite web | url=https://www.vanityfair.com/news/inside-the-new-york-times-big-bet-on-games | title=Inside the New York Times' Big Bet on Games | website=Vanity Fair | date=December 19, 2023 | access-date=December 20, 2023 | archive-date=April 4, 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240404041134/https://www.vanityfair.com/news/inside-the-new-york-times-big-bet-on-games | url-status=live }} Vanity Fair reported that the New York Times narrowly outbid The Washington Post to acquire the game.
The New York Times planned to integrate Wordle into its digital puzzle offerings, alongside its crossword and Spelling Bee, as part of its goal to reach 10 million digital subscribers by 2025. The company assured players that the game would initially remain free and that no changes would be made to its core gameplay.{{Cite news |last=Benveniste |first=Alexis |date=2022-01-31 |title=The Sudden Rise of Wordle |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/31/crosswords/nyt-wordle-purchase.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220202205332/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/31/crosswords/nyt-wordle-purchase.html |archive-date=2022-02-02 |access-date=2022-02-02 |work=The New York Times |issn=}}{{Cite news |last=Tracy |first=Marc |date=January 31, 2022 |title=The New York Times Buys Wordle |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/31/business/media/new-york-times-wordle.html |url-status=live |url-access=subscription |access-date=January 31, 2022 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20220131235432/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/31/business/media/new-york-times-wordle.html |archive-date=January 31, 2022 }}{{cite news |last=Korn |first=Jennifer |date=January 31, 2022 |title=The New York Times buys popular word game Wordle |url=https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/31/media/wordle-new-york-times-free/index.html |access-date=February 1, 2022 |website=CNN |archive-date=January 31, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220131235801/https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/31/media/wordle-new-york-times-free/index.html |url-status=live }} However, fans worried that Wordle would eventually be placed behind a paywall.{{Cite news |last1=Mukherjee |first1=Supantha |last2=Datta |first2=Tiyashi |date=February 1, 2022 |title=Wordle buyout by New York Times draws backlash from fans |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/new-york-times-acquires-wordle-2022-01-31/ |access-date=February 1, 2022 |archive-date=February 1, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220201012015/https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/new-york-times-acquires-wordle-2022-01-31/ |url-status=live }} Due to these concerns, some players downloaded the webpage to preserve offline access, as Wordle operates entirely through client-side JavaScript.{{Cite news|last=Hollister|first=Sean|date=February 1, 2022|title=Wordle will be free forever because you can right-click to save the whole game|work=The Verge|url=https://www.theverge.com/2022/2/1/22912711/wordle-web-save-download-webpage-local-personal|access-date=February 2, 2022|archive-date=February 1, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220201233808/https://www.theverge.com/2022/2/1/22912711/wordle-web-save-download-webpage-local-personal|url-status=live}}{{Cite news|last=Stanton|first=Rich|date=February 2, 2022|title=Folks are 'saving' six years of Wordle before the NYT messes with it|work=PC Gamer|url=https://www.pcgamer.com/folks-are-saving-six-years-of-wordle-before-the-nyt-messes-with-it/|access-date=February 2, 2022|archive-date=February 2, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220202152551/https://www.pcgamer.com/folks-are-saving-six-years-of-wordle-before-the-nyt-messes-with-it/|url-status=live}} On February 10, Wordle officially moved to The New York Times website, with player statistics carried over. However, some users reported that their daily streaks had reset after the transition.{{Cite news|last=Carpenter|first=Nicole|date=February 10, 2022|title=Wordle players are losing their streaks after NYT migration|work=Polygon|url=https://www.polygon.com/22928051/wordle-streak-new-york-times-nyt-migration|access-date=February 10, 2022|archive-date=February 10, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220210230327/https://www.polygon.com/22928051/wordle-streak-new-york-times-nyt-migration|url-status=live}} To integrate the game into the New York Times online platform, developers rebuilt it using React and introduced New York Times account login support as another way to track progress.
As part of the transition, the New York Times removed certain words from Wordle
On August 24, 2022, Wordle was added to The New York Times Crossword app, with progress synced across mobile and desktop versions,{{cite web | url=https://www.theverge.com/2022/8/24/23320567/wordle-word-game-new-york-times-crossword-app | title=Wordle snags a place inside the New York Times Crossword app | date=August 24, 2022 | access-date=August 24, 2022 | archive-date=February 3, 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240203140004/https://www.theverge.com/2022/8/24/23320567/wordle-word-game-new-york-times-crossword-app | url-status=live }} and on April 7, 2022, WordleBot was launched by the New York Times to give players information about how they completed their Wordle on that day, giving a luck and skill rating.{{cite news |last1=Katz |first1=Josh |last2=Conlen |first2=Matthew |title=Introducing WordleBot, the Upshot's Daily Wordle Companion |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/07/upshot/wordle-bot-introduction.html |access-date=May 2, 2022 |website=The New York Times |date=April 7, 2022 |archive-date=May 2, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220502004129/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/07/upshot/wordle-bot-introduction.html |url-status=live }} Some users felt that the WordleBot responses became patronizing and insulting as the analysis of a player's completed puzzle progressed.{{cite web |last1=Mauran |first1=Cecily |title=NYT's new 'WordleBot' will passive-aggressively insult your strategy |url=https://mashable.com/article/new-york-times-launches-wordlebot-wordle-analysis |access-date=May 2, 2022 |website=Mashable |date=April 7, 2022 |archive-date=May 2, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220502202258/https://mashable.com/article/new-york-times-launches-wordlebot-wordle-analysis |url-status=live }} According to the New York Times quarterly earnings report ending on March 31, 2022, the acquisition of Wordle brought "tens of millions" of new players to the New York Times puzzle site and app, many of whom continued to play the other puzzles offered by the New York Times.{{Cite web |last=Pierce |first=David |date=May 4, 2022 |title=Buying Wordle brought 'tens of millions of new users' to The New York Times |url=https://www.theverge.com/2022/5/4/23056688/wordle-new-york-times-subscribers |access-date=May 10, 2022 |website=The Verge |archive-date=May 6, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220506153054/https://www.theverge.com/2022/5/4/23056688/wordle-new-york-times-subscribers/ |url-status=live }} Editors in the New York Times games department called the following months the "Hot Wordle Summer" due to further increases in players on their games app resulting from Wordle.
In collaboration with the New York Times, Hasbro developed Wordle: The Party Game, a physical board game adaptation of the online game. Designed for two to four players, one participant selects a secret word each round while the others attempt to guess it, following Wordle{{'s}} standard rules. The game was released in October 2022.{{cite web |last=Egan |first=Toussaint |date=July 14, 2022 |title=Wordle is getting an official party game |url=https://www.polygon.com/tabletop-games/23219087/wordle-party-board-game-release-date-price-hasbro |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220714191804/https://www.polygon.com/tabletop-games/23219087/wordle-party-board-game-release-date-price-hasbro |archive-date=July 14, 2022 |access-date=July 14, 2022 |website=Polygon}}{{cite news |last=Paul |first=Mathures |date=October 25, 2022 |title='Wordle: The Party Game' now available offline |url=https://www.telegraphindia.com/my-kolkata/lifestyle/wordle-the-party-game-now-available-offline/cid/1893995 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230907093630/https://www.telegraphindia.com/my-kolkata/lifestyle/wordle-the-party-game-now-available-offline/cid/1893995 |archive-date=September 7, 2023 |access-date=October 31, 2022 |work=The Telegraph |location=Kolkata}}
== Editor ==
In November 2022, The New York Times appointed Tracy Bennett as Wordle{{'}}s dedicated editor, responsible for selecting the daily word from a curated list.{{Cite web |last=Peters |first=Jay |date=November 8, 2022 |title=Now Wordle has an editor in charge of picking the next answer |url=https://www.theverge.com/2022/11/7/23445167/wordle-the-new-york-times-editor-tracy-bennett |access-date=November 8, 2022 |website=The Verge |archive-date=November 8, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221108003258/https://www.theverge.com/2022/11/7/23445167/wordle-the-new-york-times-editor-tracy-bennett |url-status=live }}{{cite web | url = https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2022/11/how-wordle-editor-became-a-real-job-at-the-new-york-times/ | title = How "Wordle editor" became a real job at The New York Times | first = Kyle | last = Orland | date = November 12, 2022 | access-date = November 12, 2022 | work = Ars Technica | archive-date = February 27, 2024 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20240227052514/https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2022/11/how-wordle-editor-became-a-real-job-at-the-new-york-times/ | url-status = live }}
Speaking to Today in January 2023, she explained that while the words are initially chosen at random, she reviews each selection for suitability. She removes words that have secondary meanings that could be considered profane or derogatory, as well as those that might be unintentionally hurtful or insensitive. She also avoids words that are particularly difficult to deduce due to having too many common letter combinations—such as found, where the first letter could be one of eight possibilities.{{cite news |last1=Clements |first1=Erin |date=January 10, 2023 |title=Wordle editor Tracy Bennett reveals what words get the most complaints |url=https://news.yahoo.com/wordle-editor-tracy-bennett-reveals-001603635.html |access-date=29 January 2023 |work=news.yahoo.com |archive-date=29 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230129150022/https://news.yahoo.com/wordle-editor-tracy-bennett-reveals-001603635.html |url-status=live }}
The most frequent player complaints, she noted, stem from unfamiliar words, "parer", "rupee" and the U.S.-specific "condo". Bennett also introduced a new editorial approach by occasionally aligning the daily word with significant dates. For example, "BEGIN" was chosen on her first day as editor, "MEDAL" appeared on Veterans Day (November 11), and "FEAST" was selected for Thanksgiving (November 24). This thematic connection was not part of Wardle's original word list. However, not all players welcomed this change. Slate's Lizzie O'Leary, for instance, argued that Wordle should "stay hard and weird," preferring the game's original unpredictability.O'Leary, Lizzie (November 30, 2022). [https://slate.com/technology/2022/11/wordle-editor-ruining-wordle.html "The New Wordle Editor Is Ruining Wordle"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240402092142/https://slate.com/technology/2022/11/wordle-editor-ruining-wordle.html |date=2024-04-02 }}. Slate. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
== Usage ==
In 2022, Wordle was the most-searched term on Google worldwide and in the United States.{{Cite news |last=Archie |first=Ayana |date=2022-12-08 |title=These are the words, movies and people that Americans searched for on Google in 2022 |language=en |work=NPR |url=https://www.npr.org/2022/12/08/1141485540/top-google-searches-2022 |access-date=2022-12-08 |archive-date=2023-01-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230119100647/https://www.npr.org/2022/12/08/1141485540/top-google-searches-2022 |url-status=live }} The game's popularity also influenced Google search trends, as players frequently looked up the definitions of daily answers. Seven of the top ten most-searched word definitions that year—cacao, homer, canny, foray, trove, sauté, and tacit—were all Wordle solutions.{{Cite news |date=2022-12-07 |title=Wordle: The most Googled word globally and in the US in 2022 |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-63895493 |access-date=2022-12-08 |archive-date=2023-01-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230111061018/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-63895493 |url-status=live }}{{Cite news |title=Wordle is 2022's top Google search term, above both Ukraine and the queen |language=en-US |newspaper=Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/video-games/2022/12/07/wordle-google-search/ |access-date=2022-12-08 |issn=0190-8286 |archive-date=2022-12-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221208124428/https://www.washingtonpost.com/video-games/2022/12/07/wordle-google-search/ |url-status=live }}
At the March 2023 Game Developers Conference, New York Times producer Zoe Bell shared insights into Wordle{{'}}s lasting impact on the company's other online games. While Wordle
Reception and legacy
= Critical reception =
Wordle has garnered generally positive reviews. The Guardian gave it five out of five stars, lauding it as "a five-minute conundrum that slots pleasingly into even the most harried routine" and likening it to a daily newspaper puzzle.{{Cite news |last=Parkin |first=Simon |date=January 8, 2022 |title=Wordle review – simplicity that works like a charm |url=https://www.theguardian.com/games/2022/jan/08/wordle-review-josh-wardle-free-word-guessing-game-simplicity-works-like-a-charm |access-date=2025-04-16 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0029-7712}} PC Gamer rated it 80/100 and described it as "a fantastic, mesmerizing daily puzzle that's bundled to a community offering some of the best vibes on the internet".{{Cite web |last=Winkle |first=Luke |date=February 2, 2022 |title=Wordle review |url=https://www.pcgamer.com/wordle-review/ |url-status=live |access-date=2025-04-16 |website=PC Gamer |language=en |archive-date=2025-05-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250507161308/https://www.pcgamer.com/wordle-review/}} Charlie Hall of Polygon criticized the game's board game adaptation, describing it as a "cut-and-paste job" that simply replicated the digital game's mechanics without adding meaningful enhancements for a multiplayer party setting.{{cite web|access-date=November 6, 2022|date=November 4, 2022|first=Charlie|last=Hall|title=The Wordle board game is a joyless, lazy knockoff of the hit digital game|url=https://www.polygon.com/reviews/23436638/wordle-the-party-game-review|work=Polygon|archive-date=November 5, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221105090438/https://www.polygon.com/reviews/23436638/wordle-the-party-game-review|url-status=live}}
{{Anchor|Adaptations and clones}}{{anchor|Absurdle}}
= Adaptations and clones =
Following Wordle{{'}}s rapid rise in early 2022, numerous clones emerged, some introducing novel twists to the game's logic. Absurdle, created by British programmer qntm, is an adversarial version where the target word changes after each guess while still adhering to previously revealed hints.{{cite web |last=Winkie |first=Luke |date=January 13, 2022 |title=Absurdle: the machiavellian version of Wordle |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/jan/13/absurdle-machiavellian-version-of-wordle |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220125012035/https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/jan/13/absurdle-machiavellian-version-of-wordle |archive-date=January 25, 2022 |website=The Guardian |access-date=January 13, 2022}} Other clones retained Wordle{{'s}} mechanics but altered the word list, including translations into other languages and themed variations such as Sweardle (featuring swear words) and Weddle (focused on NFL players, named after former safety Eric Weddle).{{cite web |last=Smith |first=Graham |date=January 11, 2022 |title=Absurdle is a Wordle variant that hates you – while Sweardle curses you |url=https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/absurdle-is-a-wordle-variant-that-hates-you-while-sweardle-curses-you |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220112021540/https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/absurdle-is-a-wordle-variant-that-hates-you-while-sweardle-curses-you |archive-date=January 12, 2022 |website=Rock Paper Shotgun |access-date=January 11, 2022}}{{cite news |last1=Johnson |first1=Lottie Elizabeth |date=April 7, 2022 |title=Super Bowl champ Eric Weddle has his own Wordle spinoff. The NBA and NHL have spinoffs, too |work=Deseret News |url=https://www.deseret.com/sports/2022/4/4/23009960/wordle-unlimited-game-weddle-nfl-wordle-named-for-eric-weddle-poeltl-nba-wordle-game-wordle-spinoffs |access-date=May 2, 2022 |archive-date=May 2, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220502162632/https://www.deseret.com/sports/2022/4/4/23009960/wordle-unlimited-game-weddle-nfl-wordle-named-for-eric-weddle-poeltl-nba-wordle-game-wordle-spinoffs |url-status=live }} The game has also been ported to older hardware, with versions like GameBoy Wordle for the Game Boy,{{Cite web |title=Someone put 'Wordle' on the Game Boy |url=https://www.engadget.com/wordle-game-boy-port-212036322.html |access-date=May 1, 2022 |website=Engadget |date=February 7, 2022 |archive-date=May 1, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220501210557/https://www.engadget.com/wordle-game-boy-port-212036322.html |url-status=live }} Wordle DS for the Nintendo 3DS,{{Cite web |date=March 11, 2022 |title=Here's What Wordle Looks Like On a 3DS |url=https://gamerant.com/wordle-nintendo-3ds/ |access-date=May 1, 2022 |website=Game Rant |archive-date=May 1, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220501210557/https://gamerant.com/wordle-nintendo-3ds/ |url-status=live }} and a Nokia N-Gage adaptation.{{Cite web |date=April 8, 2022 |title=Wordle Comes To The Nokia N-Gage Thanks To New SDK |url=https://hackaday.com/2022/04/08/wordle-comes-to-the-nokia-n-gage-thanks-to-new-sdk/ |access-date=May 1, 2022 |website=Hackaday}}
Beyond direct clones, many other games adopted the "-le" suffix to signal a connection to Wordle, even with significant gameplay differences. These include Semantle, where players guess words based on semantic similarity;{{cite news |last1=Rizzo |first1=Tim |title=Semantle is like the Dark Souls of Wordle |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/video-games/2022/04/04/semantle-wordle-hard-mode/ |access-date=April 25, 2022 |newspaper=Washington Post |date=April 4, 2022}}{{cite news |last1=Cadenas |first1=Cesar |title=Semantle is the Wordle clone that will have you pulling your hair out |url=https://www.techradar.com/uk/news/semantle-is-the-wordle-clone-that-will-have-you-pulling-your-hair-out |access-date=April 25, 2022 |work=TechRadar |date=April 6, 2022}} and Squabble, a Wordle battle royale.{{Cite news |last=Livingston |first=Christopher |date=February 14, 2022 |title=Wordle, inevitably, has been turned into a battle royale |work=PCGamer |url=https://www.pcgamer.com/wordle-inevitably-has-been-turned-into-a-battle-royale/ |access-date=November 22, 2023 |archive-date=November 23, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231123023405/https://www.pcgamer.com/wordle-inevitably-has-been-turned-into-a-battle-royale/ |url-status=live }} The game's success also spurred a wave of non-word-based variations, such as Worldle, where players identify a country or territory by its silhouette, with text hints indicating direction and distance from the correct answer;{{cite news |last=Timsit |first=Annabelle |title=Meet Worldle, the geography guessing game its creator calls a 'tribute' to Wordle |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/video-games/2022/02/16/wordle-spin-off-worldle-creator-antoine-teuf/ |access-date=May 11, 2022 |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=February 16, 2022 |archive-date=February 16, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220216131835/https://www.washingtonpost.com/video-games/2022/02/16/wordle-spin-off-worldle-creator-antoine-teuf/ |url-status=live }} Heardle, a music-identification game acquired by Spotify in July 2022;{{cite web |last=Welsh |first=Oli |date=July 13, 2022 |title=Spotify buys Heardle, the Wordle for music lovers |url=https://www.polygon.com/23206760/spotify-buys-heardle-music-guessing-game |access-date=November 22, 2023 |website=Polygon |archive-date=September 30, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230930163937/https://www.polygon.com/23206760/spotify-buys-heardle-music-guessing-game |url-status=live }} Nerdle, which involves solving an 8-digit mathematical equation; Globle, where players guess a country on a map where guesses are colored based on the distance from the correct answer;{{Cite news |date=April 18, 2022 |title=How Wordle alternative Globle, a geography quiz, made its world map when national borders are in different places for different people |url=https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3174648/how-wordle-alternative-globle-geography-quiz-made-its-world |access-date=April 26, 2025 |work=South China Morning Post |archive-date=May 7, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250507161308/https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3174648/how-wordle-alternative-globle-geography-quiz-made-its-world |url-status=live }} and Framed, where players identify a movie from a short clip. Some variants expanded Wordle's challenge by requiring players to solve multiple puzzles at once, such as Quordle, which involves solving four puzzles simultaneously and was acquired by Merriam-Webster in January 2023.{{cite web | url = https://www.engadget.com/wordle-clone-quordle-merriam-webster-210051171.html | title = 'Quordle' has a fitting new owner as Merriam-Webster buys the 'Wordle' clone | work = Engadget | date = January 20, 2023 | access-date = January 22, 2023 | first = Kris | last = Holt | archive-date = January 21, 2023 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230121052124/https://www.engadget.com/wordle-clone-quordle-merriam-webster-210051171.html | url-status = live }}
A wave of ad-supported Wordle clones also appeared on Apple's App Store in early January 2022, often using the same name while making minimal changes to the gameplay.{{cite web |last=Clark |first=Mitchell |date=January 11, 2022 |title=The App Store clones are here to profit off Wordle's success |url=https://www.theverge.com/2022/1/11/22878752/wordle-app-store-review-copies-advertisements-in-app-purchase |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220112004620/https://www.theverge.com/2022/1/11/22878752/wordle-app-store-review-copies-advertisements-in-app-purchase |archive-date=January 12, 2022 |website=The Verge |access-date=January 11, 2022}} However, by the end of the month, nearly all of these clones had been removed.{{cite web |last=Clark |first=Mitchell |date=January 11, 2022 |title=The Wordle clones have disappeared from the App Store |url=https://www.theverge.com/2022/1/11/22879295/wordle-clones-app-store-removal-online-backlash-copycats |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220112015027/https://www.theverge.com/2022/1/11/22879295/wordle-clones-app-store-removal-online-backlash-copycats |archive-date=January 12, 2022 |website=The Verge |access-date=January 11, 2022}} After acquiring Wordle, the New York Times moved to protect its intellectual property by filing a trademark application for the game's name{{cite web | url = https://www.cnbc.com/amp/2022/02/24/wordle-kind-of-rips-off-lingo-a-copyright-lawyer-says-thats-ok.html | title = Wordle kind of rips off an old game show: A copyright lawyer explains why that's OK | first = Tom | last = Huddleston Jr. | date = February 24, 2022 | access-date = February 24, 2022 | work = CNBC | archive-date = May 31, 2022 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220531034212/https://www.cnbc.com/amp/2022/02/24/wordle-kind-of-rips-off-lingo-a-copyright-lawyer-says-thats-ok.html | url-status = live }}WORDLE, ser. no. [https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=97248806&caseType=SERIAL_NO&searchType=statusSearch 97/248,806] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200218074011/http://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=97248806&caseType=SERIAL_NO&searchType=statusSearch |date=2020-02-18 }} (filed February 1, 2022). U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Trademark Status & Document Retrieval. Accessed May 4, 2022. and issuing Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) takedown notices against GitHub repositories hosting clone source code.{{cite web | url = https://www.theverge.com/2024/3/8/24094234/ny-times-wordle-clones-files-dmca-copyright-takedowns-knockoffs | title = The New York Times is targeting Wordle clones with legal takedowns | first = Jess | last = Weatherbed | date = March 8, 2024 | accessdate = March 8, 2024 | work = The Verge | archive-date = September 7, 2024 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20240907013339/https://www.theverge.com/2024/3/8/24094234/ny-times-wordle-clones-files-dmca-copyright-takedowns-knockoffs | url-status = live }} In May 2024, The New York Times initiated legal action against Worldle, a location-based guessing game using a similar format, alleging trademark infringement. The developer of Worldle stated they would contest the claim.{{cite web | url = https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cjrr5ee5zv8o | title = Wordle in legal row with geography spinoff, Worldle | first = Zoe | last = Kleinman | date = May 30, 2024 | accessdate = May 31, 2024 | work = BBC News | archive-date = September 2, 2024 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20240902214854/https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cjrr5ee5zv8o | url-status = live }}
== Others ==
After Wordle gained viral popularity among English-speaking users in January 2022, it was quickly adapted into numerous other languages. An open-source version of the game, created by Hannah Park, was modified by linguist Aiden Pine to accommodate different character sets, enabling broader linguistic accessibility.{{cite web | url = https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/another-way-to-reawaken-the-language-word-game-wordle-adapted-for-indigenous-languages | title = 'Another way to reawaken the language': Word game Wordle adapted for Indigenous languages | first = Roxanne | last = Egan-Elliott | date = February 1, 2022 | access-date = February 5, 2022 | work = Vancouver Sun | archive-date = February 4, 2022 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220204140927/https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/another-way-to-reawaken-the-language-word-game-wordle-adapted-for-indigenous-languages | url-status = live }} Pine also published a free step-by-step blog on how to create a custom Wordle.{{Cite journal |last=Grower |first=Sheila |date=2022 |title='Wordle' word game assisting old languages |journal=Prairie History |issue=8 |pages=130 |via=Ebscohost}} By October 2024, the collaborative project Wordles of the World had documented 780 Wordle-inspired games and resources across 158 languages.{{Cite web |last=Ronén |first=Júda |date=2024-10-31 |title=Wordles of the World, Unite |url=https://rwmpelstilzchen.gitlab.io/wordles/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20241031191749/https://rwmpelstilzchen.gitlab.io/wordles/ |archive-date=2024-10-31 |website=Wordles of the World}} These include adaptations in historical and regional dialects, indigenous languages, languages without alphabetic writing systems (such as Chinese chengyu and American Sign Language), and even constructed languages like Klingon.{{cite web | url = https://www.theguardian.com/games/2022/feb/05/urdu-chinese-even-old-norse-how-wordle-spread-across-the-globe | title = Urdu, Chinese, even Old Norse: how Wordle spread across the globe | first1 = Emma | last1 = Graham-Harrison | first2 = Dan | last2 = Milmo | date = February 5, 2022 | access-date = February 5, 2022 | work = The Guardian | archive-date = February 5, 2022 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220205130640/https://www.theguardian.com/games/2022/feb/05/urdu-chinese-even-old-norse-how-wordle-spread-across-the-globe |url-status = live}}{{cite web | url = https://globalvoices.org/2022/02/02/yourdle-wordle-is-now-available-in-many-of-the-worlds-languages/ | title = 'Your'dle: Wordle is now available in many of the world's languages | first = Tanya | last = Lokot | date = February 5, 2022 | access-date = February 5, 2022 | work = Global Voices | archive-date = February 5, 2022 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220205053218/https://globalvoices.org/2022/02/02/yourdle-wordle-is-now-available-in-many-of-the-worlds-languages/ | url-status = live }}
See also
- {{annotated link|The New York Times Games|The New York Times Games}}
- Hangman (game)
References
{{reflist}}
External links
{{wiktionary|Wordle}}
- {{Official website}}
- [https://rwmpelstilzchen.gitlab.io/wordles "Wordles of the World" – List of Wordle variants and language adaptations]
{{NY Times}}
{{Authority control}}
{{Portal bar|Video games|Internet}}
Category:2020s fads and trends
Category:The New York Times Games
Category:Video games developed in the United States